


Cast Away

by The20sBard



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cast Away AU, Jaskier has a cat named buttercup, Jaskier is a journalist, M/M, Mild angst maybe, also geralts not a professional pilot he just has a license, but writes and performs music as a hobby too, geralt and yen are the ultimate mom-and-dad duo for Ciri, geralt is a total wilderness expert, i cannot ever write these guys suffering, jaskier's pov, mainly focused on geraskier, mostly just fluff, mostly just two idiots gallivanting about stranded on an island, so its all definetly way less traumatic that it probably shuld be, so not much involvement of the others till the end, triss and jaskier are besties, who's a little shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:34:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23260276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The20sBard/pseuds/The20sBard
Summary: Havana was wonderful, and everything Jaskier had needed for a vacation. That was until a dire emergency had him desperate to get back home to London. And that's how he ends up in the middle of the Atlantic in a thunderstorm with the pilot, Geralt Rivia.The 'stranded on an island all alone' AU no one asked for.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 38
Kudos: 270





	1. The One Where Shit Goes Down.

**Author's Note:**

> I was watching Tom Hank's 'Cast Away' a few weeks ago, and had the urgent need to read a geraskier fic with both our favorite dumbasses falling for each other while stranded on an uninhabited island. Didn't manage to find any, so i wrote it myself (that rarely happens tbh).
> 
> Expect a new chapter to be updated every two days.

Jaskier shifted impatiently in the uncomfortably hard seat of his chair. His knee bounced up and down as he absentmindedly fiddled with the strap of the guitar case propped up beside him. He had been thoroughly enjoying basking in the sun on his hotel room’s balcony. It was the third day of his vacation in Havana, and he had been making the most of it. It was better than he’d expected; beautiful weather, beautiful people and beautiful places. Every inch of the place was bursting with life, and Jaskier felt thoroughly at home in this city. He had chosen the perfect place for his first vacation in what seemed to be forever.

It was on the third day that everything had gone to shit. His phone had rung. It was his neighbour and good friend, Triss. She was a real sweetheart, and had agreed to look after Jaskier's cat, Buttercup, for the entirety of his vacation. It wasn't good news. Buttercup had gotten into a vicious brawl with the apartment door, which had ended with a fractured left paw. Triss had called on the way to the vet, and he could hear Buttercup's occasional mewls of pain. Jaskier heart had leapt into his throat. Triss had reassured him that she was okay, and that she would look after her well enough. But Jaskier couldn't stand the thought of enjoying a vacation an entire ocean apart from his Buttercup while she was in agony.Now, sitting just beside the information desk at the Airport, he sighed as glanced at the watch once more. He had enquired about flights back to London over fifteen minutes ago. Surely, I wouldn't take so long for them to check, would it?

"Excuse me, sir."

He rushed back to the counter. "So when is it?"

“I'm afraid there isn't anything for today. Everything is fully booked out. There is, however, a flight at 7.30 am tomorrow that we can get you on. "

Jaskier groaned. He wanted to reach home by the next day, as soon as he could. He couldn't possibly stay so far away for so long! " Are you _absolute_ _ly_ sure there isn't anything? You see, it's a......... a family emergency. " There was no lie in his words; Buttercup was indeed his family. More so than his parents, who hadn't spoken properly to him ever since he had decided to work as a journalist instead of becoming the doctor they wanted him to be.

" I'm sorry, sir. That's all we can offer. Would you like me to book you a seat on the 7.30?"

Just then, another one of the Airport staff, who had been sitting idly at his empty counter, just beside the lady - Rachel, according to her tag - who had been attending to him, spoke up.

" Excuse me, but did you say you had to get to London? "

" Yeah."

"Well...... There is one flight, leaving in about an hour. You could-"

Rachel interrupted, addressing her colleague, "Luis, don't tell me you're suggesting to hitch a ride with _him_."

Jaskier's interest was instantly piqued. "Who's 'him'? What are you saying?"

Rachel shot the man - Luis, apparently--a quick glare before turning back to Jaskier. "It's nothing. There is a private jet scheduled to leave for London in an hour, and there will be quite enough place on it. But....... Well, the pilot is very.........well, i’m pretty sure he wouldn't really give anyone a ride. That's why I didn't mention it. "

Jaskier didn't have to think for even a second. "Could I speak to the man? Perhaps I can convince him to do it this once. Its worth a try, isn't it."

Rachel looked undecided for a moment, before she settled on a polite smile. "All right, then. I'll take you. Please, this way." Once he cleared customs (might as well do that ; he would either end up leaving now or 20 hours later.), he was lead through a number of corridors and past several doors, till they finally walked through one into a private hangar. In the middle, a small plane was parked, which Jaskier supposed was the one he would be riding in if luck sided with him today. Rachel confirmed that this was, indeed, the plane in question. And according to her, the pilot should be somewhere nearby as well. Jaskier surveyed the large area of the hangar for the man. There wasn't a sign of anyone else. Just as he was about to call out with a 'hello', he heard a voice, one of the deepest he'd ever heard, speak from behind him.

"What do you want?"

Startled, Jaskier whipped about, and stared straight into a pair of golden eyes. The colour was fascinating. They had to be contacts, right? He’d never seen anyone with that colour naturally.

He was jerked back into consciousness as Rachel nervously cleared her throat beside him. Realizing that he was staring at a complete stranger (whose help he desperately needed) like an absolute creep, Jaskier tore his eyes away from the other man's. And looked properly at the person standing before him. He was as beautiful as his eyes. His hair (long and inexplicably _white)_ was tied back. Dressed in all black button up shirt and jeans, his arms were crossed over his chest. He was obviously very well-muscled, and despite being nearly the same height as him, Jaskier felt diminutive by his side.

Tearing his gaze away for the second time, Jaskier was about to reply, when Rachel piped up. "Mr. Rivia, this is Julian Pankratz. We wondered if you would consider giving him a place on your jet to London."

Jaskier decided it was time to take over. "You see, it's a family emergency. I really need to get there as soon as possible. I would be eternally grateful to you. Please."

The man siezed him up. A second later, he replied, "Hmm. No can do." and turned away.

Jaskier stared at his (very broad) back walking away. He hadn't even got to try properly! Resolve fully intact, Jaskier started after him. "Have some sympathy! I have people to get back to in London. If you have a heart, turn back and let me tag along. I implore you-" The man turned around, face completely stoic, and jaw clenched. Jaskier counted that as a win.

Before he could tell him to fuck off for good, Jaskier went on,"Of course, I'll pay you for it. Just _please_ let me come with you. " According to what Rachel had told him, it wouldn't be as expensive as a seat in an airline.The guy's face gave away nothing. Jaskier resisted the urge to fidget any more.

Then he spoke up. "Alright. As long as you keep the dramatics to a minimum, and stay quiet."

Jaskier broke into a blinding grin. "Thank you!" Rachel interrupted, "I'll just get you a couple of documents you'll have to sign, and then you'll be good to go. Excuze me." She slipped away quietly, as quickly as she could. Not a big fan of the man, then. Grabbing his suitcase, Jaskier jogged after him to catch up with him as he strode towards the plane with wide strides. He turned to Jaskier, and said,"Get in and take any seat."

"Right. I'll just--yeah. Also...." before Jaskier could say any more, he strode away to the other end of the plane, probably just making sure the plane's in a proper condition for the journey. Sighing, Jaskier entered the plane. It was quite small. The pilot's seat was separated from four other passenger seats by nothing other that a distance of about ten feet. Settling down in the seat diagonally behind the pilot's, Jaskier exhaled deeply.

The man- Mr. Rivia, going by what Rachel said- didn't seem to be the chatty type. However, as it turns out, he _most definetly_ was Jaskier's type. Jaskier couldn't help but get exited about the thought of spending the next nine hours with the man. Who knows, maybe Jaskier could charm him sufficiently enough to atleast speak more than a sentence at a time. Lost in contemplation, Jaskier jumped as his phone started ringing, the sound extremely loud in the empty plane. It was Triss.

"Triss! How's she? Where are you?"

"Everything's fine. We're at the vet's, and he's taking a look at her right now. They might need to do one simple surgery, but that's it!"

"Surgery!? Oh my god, oh my _god_. I'm getting there by tonight, managed to tag along on a private plane, directly to London."

Triss' voice softened. "We'll be fine, I told you it's okay. Don't worry too much. Distract yourself till you get over here. Try and relax."

"Yeah....... You're the sweetest person in the world. I love you."

"Love you too, Jask. I'll see you tonight. Safe journey."

"Hmm. See you. Bye."

Just as he returned the phone to his pocket, he heard a deep voice rumble from behind him, "You should switch it off now."

Jaskier twisted in his seat to see the pilot march in, and put on his most charming smile. "Oh, Hello again! Consider it done." The man merely grunted as he walked part him to the pilot's seat. Not very talkative then, as expected.

"You can call me Jaskier, by the way. Thank you for the.... well, this!" he laughed nervously.

He received a brief glance in return, and as he turned away, Jaskier blurted out, "What do I call you, then?"

"Geralt." he muttered, as he fiddled about with something at the console.

An awkward silence followed, as Jaskier shuffled about in his seat and Geralt continued to adjust god knows what.

Jaskier, unable to bear the quiet, broke first. "So...... when are we setting off?"

"Once the fuel tank is filled."

"Ah. Right. Can't very well cross the Atlantic with no fuel, huh?" Jaskier chuckled nervously. Geralt looked up properly this time, and eyed Jaskier with something akin to incredulousness. Jaskier internally cursed himself. He prided himself on his silver tongue, but Geralt's presence had him spouting nonsense even in casual conversation. Geralt's voice dragged him out of that train of thought. "Buckle up. He obliged, and took a deep breath as Geralt got on with his piloting. They were soaring through the air soon enough, gaining altitude rapidly. The gliding up made Jaskier stomach drop funnily, and he let out a small gasp.

Eyes on the controls, Geralt asked, "Afraid of heights?"

"Not really, no. Just...... felt my stomach drop. Its unsettling."

"Hmm."

Once they were at a cruising height, Jaskier groaned. His ears were fully and properly blocked. Yawning constantly usually did the trick, but this time it seemed to fail him. Making sure not to spew nonsense again, Jaskier said, "Geralt. You wouldn't happen to have a mint, or a candy on you would you?" He didn't really seem to be the type to carry them on his person, but a man could always try.

Jaskier watched, taken a bit in surprise as he reached into a pocket and drew out a couple of bright yellow candies. Walking to Geralt, he took the sweets and immediately commenced sucking on one of them. His eyes were drawn to Geralt once more, despite the beautiful view through the windows. That jawline was as worthy of attention as any scenery. Belatedly, he realized he had been staring and, even worse, was caught doing so. Geralt's gruff "What?" snapped him out of it.

Jaskier floundered for a moment. "Uhh... nothing, just..... Umm....You didn't strike me as the type to have candy on you."

Geralt pinned him with a strange expression. "I wasn't."

Jaskier stayed quiet for a few seconds before realizing no more details were forthcoming. "Well.........what changed? If you don't mind me asking." He added hastily. Geralt seemed to be considering whether or not to encourage him, as Jaskier had his fingers crossed behind his back. It worked.

"I have a daughter."

"Oh! A...... A daughter. I see. Of course." Stupid. Absolutely Stupid. Of course, the totally gorgeous pilot was probably married and had a family. A happy one, judging by the mild softening of his expression when mentioning his daughter. Gods, it didn't help any. Doing his best to ignore the dissapointment, Jaskier went on. He had nothing else to do for nine hours, and the constant anxiety lurked in the background. He couldn't even work on any of his songs. Getting Geralt talking seemed like an interesting challenge.

"So...... Why are you heading to London?" He almost thought Geralt wasn't going to reply, but then he did. "Visiting my daughter. She lives there with her mother."

"Ah. And you.........uh, don't? Live with them, I mean."

"No."

Jaskier could tell there wasn't any more information forthcoming. Just as he was going to return to his seat, Geralt asked, "What's the emergency?"

"Oh! My............um......" Geralt didn't seem the kind of person who tolerated any dishonesty. So Jaskier decided to let the cat out of the bag (heh, cat.)

"I'll be frank with you, Geralt. Not that I haven't been!" he hastily added, as Geralt shot him a distinctly irate look. "I didn't lie! It _is_ a family emergency. Its just that, you know, the emergency is a surgery.......to mend a fracture.......... In my cat's paw." with every word, Geralt seemed to look more incredulous, and Jaskier cringed a bit harder.

"All that imploring and begging was for........"

"..... my cat, yes. Her name's Buttercup. Would you like to see a picture?"

They started at one another for a few long moments, Jaskier with a smile (very much akin to a grimace) and Geralt with his eyebrows raised high.

Finally, Geralt scoffed. " Get back to your seat, Jaskier. " and turned back to the controls.

"Right, " Jaskier muttered to himself. He didn't feel quite as ridiculous as he normally would have. In fact, he was quite pleased. You see, he was pretty sure Geralt's lips had been ever so slightly quirked up in a smile as he left.

*************

Jaskier has been playing the same song over and over again. It's not one he particularly enjoys, so he tries to stop. But his hands seem to have a mind of their own, as his fingers continue to flit over the strings of the guitar.The members of the audience are faceless. It's just a mass of bodies, moving on the dance floor shimmering under the bright, colourful lights of the........well, wherever he was. Something was very wrong, and he couldn't put a pin in it.

The beat of the music got louder and louder, until he could feel himself literally shaking with because of it. Then, over the din, came a voice calling his name.

"Jaskier! wake up!"

He blinked, and laughed at how ridiculous he was being. How had he not noticed Geralt standing before him? It was him who was yelling Jaskier's name. The music got impossibly ouder and it felt like the entire place was shaking with the force.

That's when his head hit the wall of the plane and Jaskier jolted out of sleep. He had barely any time to realize all that had been a dream, because apparently the shaking hadn't been imagined. The entire plane was shuddering and shaking. Sitting up straight, Jaskier scrambled to put on his seat belt. As he did so, Geralt yelled, "You sleep like a log! I've been trying to get you awake for the last five minutes!"

"Whats going on?"

"Storm. Came out of nowhere. Its okay, I've piloted through such things before." However, Geralt didn't look so sure. Before Jaskier had any time to register the news and start panicking, there was a flash of lightning, followed by a loud rumble of thunder that nearly burst his eardrums. An undignified squeak escaped Jaskier. How had they ended up this way? He'd layed down for a nap just.......

....... Three hours ago.

Jaskier cursed as he checked his watch. "Geralt! Why did you let me sleep for so long?"

"Had to make most of the only peace and quiet I could get for these nine hours."

The indignant retort on Jaskier tongue turned into another squeak of terror as the plane shuddered once again, creaking and groaning. Geralt cursed and furiously worked on the controls, doing god knows what, before ditching them entirely and reaching for the radio. Jaskier didn't get most of what he spoke in to it, but what he did understand did nothing to alleviate his fears. ‘Mayday”. He'd seen enough movies to know what that meant. Geralt chucked the radio aside, swearing.

Jaskier's voice came out surprisingly even. "What's wrong? Geralt?"

"The fucking radio's gone. And one of the engines is seriously damaged."

Jaskier clutched the arms of his seat, knuckles turning white, muttering under his breath. "Oh please don't let me die please. Shit, I’m too young to die, no"

Geralt cut him off, "Praying won't help you." Turning to face him clearly, he started rattling off a set of instructions. "We'll hit the water in about a minute. There's a life jacket under your seat. Put it on, and pull the red tab to inflate it. Don't do it till I say so. When I start counting down, go to the exit."

Jaskier nodded, hands trembling as he suited the action to the words. A whirlwind of thoughts ran through his mind. What happened If he died out here? Would anyone ever find out? Triss would be very upset, and his parents to an extent. Buttercup would have to find a new owner; Triss would probably take her in. Oh gods, he hadn't even written a will. Well that probably wasn’t a big concern, considering he didn't own much of anything. Geralt's loud voice, now just audible over the storm and the plane's ominous creaking and groaning, reached him. "Ready ! In 3..2...1!“ Geralt was with him at the exit, both of them clinging on for life. As he said the last number, he opened the door. And they jumped.

The last thing Jaskier remembered before blacking out was a thundering splash, and then nothing.


	2. The One Where They Get Cast Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Adventure begins!! 
> 
> Thank you for the lovely comments and kudos guys, and i hope you enjoy this as well :)

The first thing that Jaskier felt was pain. There was dull throbbing all over his body, and his head was pounding. When he tried to open his eyes, they felt so very heavy. Maybe it would be better to go back to sleep. And so he did.

The second time he woke up, the dull throbbing had given place to acute pain. Oh gods, everything seemed to ache. Arms, limbs, and _oh_ his head hurt. This time he forced his eyes open. The sky was beautiful; an inky black canvas splattered by lovely pinprick of light, millions and millions of them. Jaskier nearly smiled. A low voice came from beside him. "Jaskier. Can you hear me?"

He painfully turned his head towards the voice. It seemed familiar, very much so. Where did he -

Oh.

As he met golden yellow eyes shining brightly in the light of a bonfire, he recognize who they belonged to. And everything that happened came flooding back to him.

Oh no. Where the hell were they? More importantly, how did they make it out _alive_? Also, he was thousands of miles away from Buttercup.

His mounting panic seemed to be reflected in his expression, because Geralt immediately reassured him, "You're okay. We crashed just beside an island and the raft somehow managed to get us to the shore. We're lucky all our injuries are superficial."

"What.......... What island?"

Geralt had turned away, and now turned back to him, a small cup crafted out of broad leaves in his hands. "Drink up. Its water."

Jaskier reached out for it, and groaned at the bolt of pain that shot through his left arm.

"Don't move. I was about to bind it before you woke up. Just a sprain,"

He leaned closer and held the water cup with one hand. The other helped Jaskier prop himself up, wincing at the pain. Once Geralt had helped him with the water, the man got up and walked along the beach, towards a bright yellow raft a few meters away. Jaskier examined his surroundings. The beach was beautiful, and there was a lush treeline (coconut trees included) about a hundred meters from the water. He felt his heart sink as he noticed no other signs of civilization. If there were humans in the vicinity, they would never have left such a beautiful place alone.

Soon enough, Geralt was back with a first-aid kit which he had presumably fetched from the raft. Jaskier watched in silence as he bound the sprained hand. Just as he finished, Jaskier asked, "Where are we? “

Geralt quietly finished his task and turned to him. "I don't know. You were out for a few hours. We're the only people here."

Jaskier's breath came out shuddering. He swallowed. "What are we going to do then?"

"I'm thinking."

"I'm guessing the raft got us here. We could set out on it. We're bound to come across one ship or another-"

"We were lucky it got us here. There's no way we're setting out on an inflatable raft. The jagged rocks just off-shore will rip us to shreds."

"Okay then- then -" Jaskier slumped against the rock he was propped up against. "Oh no. This can't be how it ends. I can't--"

"Hey, no one's dying." Geralt's voice was surprisingly calm and soothing, and Jaskier found himself taking comfort in it. He went on in the same tone, "Once you've recovered from your injuries to an extent, we can think about getting out. We're in no condition to go anywhere as it is."

Jaskier nodded numbly. Pretty sure that a panic attack wasn't impending anymore, he settled himself best as he could against the boulder behind him. Once satisfied, he watched Geralt tend to the fire. Despite their frankly absurd and crazy circumstances, Jaskier couldn't help but admire the way the flames made his eyes look like molten gold. His gaze travelled lower of its own volition, and-

Was that _blood_!?

"Geralt! There's blood all over your shirt! You're hurt." How the hell had he managed not to notice for so long? Once it caught his eye, he couldn't look away. Geralt winced.

"Just a scratch. Must've got scraped by the rocks."

Jaskier glared incredulously. " _Just a scratch_? You'll....... I don't know, bleed out, or........ something!"

"I've bandaged it, Jaskier. I'm fine. I've had worse. Here," Geralt was handing him something. Frowning, Jaskier took it and eyed it. What was this?

“What is-"

"Fish. I caught it. And cooked it. Eat up."

"Fish. You...... we got cast away on an uninhabited island in the middle of nowhere, and you patch me and yourself up, and get a fire going, and manage to scrounge up dinner.", Jaskier stated in disbelief.

"Hmmm."

Jaskier gaped in silence. Who _was_ this guy?

Geralt looked back up and frowned. "Eat your fish." Jaskier started, realizing he'd been caught staring. Unable to stop the blush creeping up his cheeks, he turned to his dinner.

Jaskier may have great appreciation for the finer things in life, but that didn't mean he couldn't make do with what he had. Honestly, the fish wasn't that bad. Finishing his meal (that was a bit too generous a description, but well ) in silence, he was at a loss as to what to do. Geralt still seemed busy with his. The silence between them seemed to get increasingly awkward with every passing second. Unable to stand it any longer, Jaskier piped up, "How are you not panicking at all? This isn't exactly a stellar situation, you know."

Geralt glanced at him briefly before turning back to his dinner. "We won't die. Just a matter of time before we come up with something. It's more important to not waste energy freaking out." There was a trace of worry in his voice. Jaskier decided to trust this man, in order to preserve his own sanity. He was going to die anyways if he went off by himself, might as well tag along with the gorgeous stranger.

Once more, the silence lay thickly over them. Jaskier made no attempt to break it this time, though. His mind was whirling as he took in his current condition. Oh gods, he hoped Buttercup was okay. Triss would probably just be realizing something was wrong due to the lack of contact. He-

Wait. He had a phone.

Suddenly jumping into action from the spark of frantic hope, Jaskier patted his pockets and scanned the surroundings. A moment later, Geralt's voice rumbled, "Your phone's gone. I looked."

"Oh" Jaskier slumped back, nursing his sprained wrist. His heart sank, despite knowing the idea was futile right from the beginning. He watched the fire distractedly as the other man got up and did whatever. Poor Buttercup would be missing him (as aloof as she may act, he knew she loved him as much as he loved her) and also in pain. His initial panic seemed to gradually morph into dismay. Geralt's words dragged him abruptly out of his stupor.

"We'll camp here on the beach. It's not going to rain again soon. We can look for something better later."

"Okay."

"Bad idea to sleep too close to the fire, however cold it may get."

Jaskier chuckled nervously. "I'll keep that in mind."

Geralt lay down right there on the sand, nothing underneath him. Well, it wasn't like they had other options. Jaskier did the same, lying down perpendicular to the other man so that they formed an 'L' shape. If Jaskier moved down a feet or so, he would kick Geralt. Should probably take care of that; Jaskier sometimes tended to be a kicker while asleep.

Falling asleep, as it turned out, was not that easy. He was tired, and would've nodded off despite just having woken up, were it not for the cold. And the wind, which just made things worse. Curled up and trying his best to keep warm, he noticed Geralt's back was to him. He lay motionless, except for the steady breathing that was just discernable if one played close attention. After what seemed like hours, Jaskier had just about resigned himself to freezing into a popsicle.

"I can hear your teeth chattering."

Jaskier jumped at the words suddenly breaking the quiet. "Ah. I th..thought you w..were asleep."

Geralt grunted in response. A moment later, Jaskier heard a sigh, before -

"Come here."

Jaskier couldn't have heard that right. "What?"

"Come here. Getting cast away is bad enough, we don't need you falling ill too."

Jaskier scrambled up, careful of his sprain, and walked over to Geralt and stood awkwardly. What was he supposed to do? Geralt looked up at him, and seemed to register his blank expression. He sighed, and lightly indicated the space beside him. "Lie down here. It'll be warmer."

Jaskier gaped like a fish. Geralt frowned, and added.

"Well.... Not if you're uncomfortable with it, of course. "

Oh, Jaskier wasn't going to miss this because Geralt mistook his shock for hesitation. "No! Not at all uncomfortable. Ha! quite the opposite, really" He let out a high-pitched giggle as his nerves got the better of him, realizing what he'd let slip. Oh gods, they were all alone on a deserted island and Jaskier was flirting (very badly) with the man.

Geralt frowned once more. Clearing his throat, Jaskier settled himself on his back beside him. Geralt himself lay on his side, between the ocean that lay a couple hundred meters or so behind him and Jaskier. He turned, facing Jaskier, and closed his eyes once more.Jaskier's heart was going twice as fast as usual. He swallowed nervously, and continuously shifted about; the sand under him wasn't exactly the most comfortable, but he felt warmer with every passing second. Though they were nearly the same height, Geralt was broader and bigger than him, and now was shielding him from the worst of the land breeze.

A few minutes later, Geralt once again caught him by surprise.

"Stop fidgeting." He sounded mildly annoyed.

"Yeah, okay. " Jaskier stayed still, back to Geralt and facing the fire, deciding this position was as good as any other. The little distance between them was probably for the best, though Jaskier was tempted to shuffle back. Doing that would more likely end in Geralt leaving him to rot all alone, though.

Settling down finally, Jaskier was lulled to sleep between the cackling heat of the fire, and the warmth behind him.


	3. The One Where They Find A Cave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's way longer than the previous chapters, but I'd didn't want to break in into two, so here you go!!!
> 
> Also, a ridiculous amount of coincidences will be found in this one cause I can't help myself.  
> Enjoy :) :)

The first thing Jaskier noticed was a comfortable weight around his waist, followed by the solid warmth pressed up again the length of his entire body.

Shifting closer to it, something rough rubbed against his side. 

Huh.

Slowly blinking his eyes open to examine, Jaskier yawned. And then realized that the roughness was the sand. Why was he lying on _sand_? Then the smell of the wind hit him, wonderfully fresh and with a distinctly salty taste. And the last 24 hours came back to him.

That would mean...........

Jaskier's eyes widened as he realized it was Geralt behind him. It was Geralt who had an arm firmly around his waist, whose breath he was feeling on the back of his neck, whose mouth was dangerously close to the skin behind Jaskier's ear.

Oh gods.  _ Oh gods. _

Jaskier moved slowly, attempting to extract himself from Geralt's grip. It was strong even in his sleep. Not that he didn't enjoy it, but this would be awkward enough for them without any spooning involved. The situation they were in was weird enough aldready. If he could slip out,  _ just so _ -

That little movement was enough to wake Geralt. Jaskier froze, head turned around staring directly into the his startlingly yellow eyes. He watched as the bleariness and confusion turned into something akin to shock as Geralt took in their situation. He was released within an instant, and both of them sat facing each other. Jaskier watched as a slight blush crept up Geralt's cheeks, despite the stoic expression he'd put on, and his heart jumped because  _ that  _ was simply too cute to handle.

Geralt, voice as deep and rumbly as ever, said, "I'm sorry. I don't know how this happened. I...... don't usually..... cuddle people while sleeping." The man couldn't manage the blank look anymore. His features were in an adorable combination of embarrassed and legitimately confused. Jaskier could tackle him with a bear hug any moment now.

Controlling his overly affectionate instincts, he replied, probably a bit too cheerfully, "It's alright, happens to the best of us sometimes, I guess."

Poker face restored, Geralt 'hmmm'ed in response. He got to his feet, as did Jaskier. Truly at a loss as to what to do next, Jaskier asked, "So....... normally, I would be zombie-walking to the kitchen to get my morning coffee at this point. But this situation isn't very familiar, you see. Not much experience with getting washed up on abandoned islands" He flashed Geralt a grin, well aware of how much nonsense he was spouting and cursing his tongue. Geralt frowned, as though wondering whether or not the man beside him was thoroughly a lost cause or not.

Before he could make up his mind, Jaskier resumed, "Well, what I wanted to ask is.... what do we do now?"

Geralt turned his frown onto the treeline a couple hundred meters away from them. "We have to find freshwater. And a dry, sheltered place to sleep in would be a good thing."

Jaskier's traitorous stomach chose that moment to rumble, creating a sound akin to that of a whale call. There was no hope it had gone unnoticed, as Geralt turned back to him, one eyebrow quirked up. Jaskier flushed. Before he could say anything, Geralt spoke up. "Maybe finding us some breakfast should take first priority."

"Oh, it can wait for a while, no issues" Jaskier mumbled. He was hungry, but it could wait if they were to search for shelter and water. They seemed much more important right now. Jaskier felt his heart jump again (second time in a span of 2 minutes!) as Geralt's lips quirked up ever so slightly in amusement. Then he turned a thoughtful eye towards the forest, and declared,"We'll scout about, and find something along the way then."

That sounded pretty good. The next minute, they were stepping foot in the lush greenery, Geralt leading the way, wielding a long sturdy stick with a pointy, sharp stone fastened to one end, presumably to defend them against any wild animals that decided to make them breakfast. Jaskier followed, cautious not to injure himself anymore. Even if he couldn't help much, he shouldn't let himself be any more of a burden. Geralt forged ahead surely, and Jaskier could sense him keenly observing every detail of their surroundings. It was Jaskier's first time in a forest, and he was busy trying to take it all in while stepping carefully and fast enough to keep up with the other man. It required a measure of focus, and he chose to keep silent.

Some fifteen minutes or so later, Geralt came to a halt abruptly. So much so that Jaskier nearly bumped right into him. Steadying himself, Jaskier noticed the man go entirely still, looking this way and that, as though....

"What is it? Do you hear anything?“

He recieved a glare and a fiercely whispered 'shh' in return. Blinking, Jaskier shut up and tried listening himself. And sure enough, there it was. A familiar, tinkling, whooshing noise. The sound of flowing water, definitely wasn't the waves. Jaskier couldn't make out which direction it came from. Just as the thought crossed him mind, Geralt sprung into action, heading to what should be east going by the sun's position. Jaskier may be shit at wilderness survival, but he was good with directions. Of course, Jaskier followed.

A steady minute of walking later, the sound getting louder and closer with every step, they stepped out of the dense tree line, right onto the bank of a fairly big stream. Geralt scrutinised it and it's surroundings for a moment, before nodding slightly. "This is good enough. The water isn't stagnant, so should be drinkable." Jaskier, who was busy beaming at their success, took that as a cue to get down on his knees at the edge of the stream and bend down to sip some water from his cupped palms. It was pleasantly cool and relieving to his nearly parched throat.

After gulping down a couple mouthfuls, he sat back on his haunches. Geralt had done the same, and was presently eyeing the stream critically. Jaskier's gaze was fixed on him, wandering from the mesmerising and focused eyes, the few loose strands of white falling across his face, to the frankly impressive musculature of the man. He jerked out of the train of thought when Geralt announced, "Plenty of fish here. That'll do for food now."

"Oh, yeah." Jaskier's mouth drooled at the thought of breakfast. His stomach had rumbled loudly several times now, and he was beyond embarrassed. And very hungry.

Jaskier physically couldn't drag his eyes away as Geralt lifted his makeshift spear. He strode without a pause along the edge of the stream and hopped onto one of the many rocks situated in the middle of it, all in one fluid motion. Then, he hefted the spear in one hand, carefully balanced and positioned as though to throw it at something. Jaskier's mind shortcircuited at the sight, so it took him a minute of staring in awe, decidedly a tad bit turned on, before the purpose of the action dawned on him. 

Geralt was going to fish. Using the spear.

Jaskier felt his mouth go dry. As he gaped openly at Geralt -whose entire focus was upon the waters below him, spear at the ready- a multitude of things crossed his mind. One, who the hell was this man? Because Jaskier knew the amount of skill required to nail a fish that way, and looking at the quiet confidence in his movements, this wasn't exactly a new experience for the man. Two, this man was getting more and more attractive with every passing second and Jaskier would lose all coherent though soon. Three, was this all even real, or just a bizzare dream of his? He did have quite the imagination, even his subconscious.

All doubts of it being a dream went right out the window when, with no prior indication whatsoever, Geralt swung into motion, the spear landing it's target in under a second. He sprang off his perch into the water and retrieved the fish which was cleanly speared through. Jaskier let out a breath he hadn't even realised he was holding. Oh gods, he'd never been more turned on, ever.

Doing his best to stop gaping like their breakfast was, Jaskier followed Geralt with his eyes as he strode over and dropped the fish beside him. Jaskier couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Geralt, that was quite......... impressive."

With nothing more than a grunt in response, the man went back to his previous position to get another one for himself. Jaskier watched, fascinated as he repeated the movement. Who knew fishing could be so hot.

Geralt busied himself with starting up a fire. Once that was done, he cleaned out the catch and cooked it over the flame. Jaskier watched closely. He should probably know how to do this himself if necessary, given their situation. The cleaning out of the fish was pretty gross, and Jaskier couldn't help but wrinkle his nose in disgust, but he watched and remembered nonetheless. He was a quick learner.

And all the while, he talked incessantly. It could be a question about what Geralt was doing, or rattling off various anecdotes. Geralt didn't seem as though he was paying much attention ; he actually seemed rather annoyed with it. But Jaskier couldn't bear to stay silent anymore, because if he didn't talk, he would start thinking. And once he started doing that, he was sure it would end in the mother of all panic attacks.

"....she was just a little kitten when I got her, you know. I was walking back home from the pub when I heard these little squeaks coming from the alley just beside my apartment. So I went to investigate. I was the perfect amount of drunk that I didn't ignore the noise, but it also didn't occur to me that it could very well be a rat, a racoon, or something worse. Anyways, there she was, a little trembling curled up ball of fur and bones. She was so tiny; could barely walk or even see, really. I picked her up and took her home. I had to Google how to feed kittens, and spent hours getting her to lick and suck milk off my fingers! She was too small to know how to lap it up from a bowl, you see. The next day I took her to the vet and got her all up to date on shots and checked up. That was about two years ago. 'Jaskier' means 'Buttercup' in Polish, so I guess I named her after myself!" Jaskier laughed at that. 

He had stared off into the space while narrating his and Buttercup's first meeting, reliving the memories fondly. Shaking off the nostalgia, he focused once again on Geralt and was taken totally by surprise. Geralt was looking at him with a mild smile. Jaskier's heart dropped at the softness that was in his eyes. In the blink of an eye, he had resumed his usual stony demeanour, but Jaskier couldn't help but melt a little at what he'd glimpsed. 

They were done with their breakfast by then. Geralt, ever the man of action, picked up his spear once again, but Jaskier noticed him wince as he moved this time. That's when he remembered with a jolt about the wound in Geralt's side. 

"Oh gods, how could I forget!? Geralt, you're hurt, worse than my stupid sprains and scratches. How is the wound?" 

Looking taken aback at the sudden outburst of concern, he replied, "It's fine." He lifted up the hem of his shirt to examine the bandaged gash. Jaskier felt his stomach drop at the sight of blood seeping through the layers. 

"You probably should change the bandages. We do have more in the kit, right?" 

"Some. But I'm saving it for other possible accidents in the future. This isn't that bad." 

"You're bleeding right through the bandages, Geralt. Come on." 

"I'll be fine, Jaskier. Let's get a move on." 

Jaskier nearly glared up at Geralt. He was still on his knees, now much closer than before to Geralt, who remained standing. His eyes were at the same level as Geralt's bandaged middle. 

"If you let this wound get infected and we both end up dead, that's on you. So shut up and let me change it." 

Geralt frowned back. "The gauze we have isn't enough. It's my wound, my problem. Leave it alone, and get up. We're wasting time here." His voice was nearly a growl. 

"Hey, I'm not letting this go. In fact," Jaskier sat back properly, legs crossed. "I am not going anywhere till you let me change those bandages." 

Jaskier had no clue what crazy part of him believed that would work, that Geralt wouldn't just leave him to his own fate and go off by himself. But now that it's said, may as well do it. 

However, What was even crazier was that it did work. 

Instead of striding away, Geralt pursed his lips. "Are you deaf, or just stupid? I just said we didn't have enough gauze." 

The growl was no longer present in his tone. Jaskier could sense that victory was close. 

"Let me handle that." He jumped to his feet. Geralt grumbled and mumbled below his breath as he sat back down on a log, as indicated. Jaskier took off the black shrug he'd been wearing on the flight, which had survived their ordeal. Until now. 

Steeling himself, he ripped off a long strip of the soft cloth. He could help but wince at the sound of it tearing; It was one of his favourites. He squatted before Geralt, whose eyebrows were raised high upon his brow now. As gently as he could, Jaskier removed the old bandage, and winced as the gash came into view. It was about 4 to 5 inches long, and moderately deep. It would've hurt like hell all the while, but Geralt managed it with barely any hint of pain. He cleaned it out with water and antiseptic, and bound it with cotton and the freshly torn off strip. 

"There we go, all patched up." Jaskier declared cheerfully, as he patted Geralt on the knee and got up. 

Geralt grunted out a 'Thanks' as he got to his feet, and hefting his spear, started marching off downstream. Jaskier scrambled for their meagre first aid kit and followed. 

Jogging a bit to catch up, he asked, "So, what's the plan?" Geralt cast him a sideways glance. "Stick as close as possible to the water. Hopefully, we'll find a suitably sheltered spot to stay."

"Good plan." Another beat of silence passed between them. There seemed to be a lot of that. Well, if Geralt wasn't one for talking, Jaskier would just have to take matters into his own hands. 

"Well, Geralt, you don't talk much." 

"I don't waste my energy." 

"Oh come on, I've told you almost every single thing about myself. You owe me something in return, to even the score!" 

"I didn't ask you to." 

"Oh, semantics. What countless mysteries are you hiding beneath that silent, brooding exterior? I'm a curious man, and I can't help but ask." 

"Good thing you're not you're cat then, 'cause you'd be dead by now." There was a sort of smug smile on Geralt's face. It took Jaskier a minute to get the joke (if one could even call it that). He couldn't help but snort out a laugh at how proud his companion was at the frankly terrible joke. He really was learning some things about this odd, extremely attractive man. 

"I'd suggest you leave the humour to me. I'm much better at that at least." 

Geralt gave him another broody side-eye. "Hmmm." 

*************

They went on for hour after hour, Geralt in the lookout for his 'suitable shelter' and Jaskier prattling away. 

"-- a hard thing. Some days, you don't even get a proper audience. If you get a late slot, it's all basically just people too drunk to do anything. My profession may be journalism, but music is my true passion! Of course, I do like my job. Very much so. Its really very lucky for me that I still have time to pursue my singing. Oh! I should give you a sample of my singing. Not to be vain, but I am really good. Hmm, which-"

Geralt cut him off. "Do you ever stop?" 

Jaskier blinked. "What?" 

"Talking." Geralt stared at him, with an excellent poker face. 

"Well..its not like we have anything else to do. You refuse to talk, and I refuse to stay silent. This is the only solution I see." Jaskier tried for a disarming grin. Geralt clenched his jaw. Jaskier sighed. 

"Well what do you want, then?!" 

"Blessed silence." He grumbled and resumed walking. Jaskier sighed, and kept his mouth shut.

The minute he fell quiet, his mind started thinking again. Turns out, thinking was pretty bad, since all that crossed his head was either all the various ways they would meet a gruesome end, or what all could've gone wrong with Buttercup. His stomach twisted into a knot thinking of the latter, but the ideas of grisly deaths didn't seem as.......real. Which was really wierd, because he was living it right now. If Geralt weren't here, he'd probably have died in a ditch or ripped himself into strips on the rapids trying to get back. 

Geralt's presence gave him a strange assurance. He didn't really feel as panicked as he should be; oh, he was definetly having an ongoing crisis in the background, but it wasn't as bad as it could be. And that was due to Geralt. 

With a jolt, Jaskier realized he trusted Geralt. With his life. 

Lost in the bewildermebt that accompanied this realization, (it was absurd, he'd only known the man for a day at most!) Jaskier wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. A moment later, he walked straight into something hard and solid, and toppled back. He would've landed hard on his behind, If it weren't for the hard-and-solid-something grabbing him immediately. As it turns out, it was Geralt. Jaskier had really though he had run into a tree. 

"Watch where you're going." Geralt frowned and hoisted him up so he was standing once more. Jaskier blinked and took in their surroundings. "Uh, Thanks. I mean, em.....sorry. But why are we stopping?" 

Geralt turned his gaze to the stream. They were near the edge of a small cliff, about 30 to 40 meters tall. The stream cascaded down the vertical face in shades of blue, green and white, glinting in the sunlight. It was a rather beautiful sight to behold. Oh, the songs Jaskier could write on this........ he could feel the words stringing themselves together in his head to form poetry.

"Oh this is gorgeous. However, a pretty little waterfall is not what I expected you to stop for, Geralt." 

"It isn't. Look behind the water. There are caves down there." 

"Ah." Jaskier stared at the indicated spot. Why would geralt stop for a cave of all-

"Oh. Oh! Shelter!" 

"Well done" Geralt muttered drily, and crouched down on his knees, looking as closely at the cliff face as he could. 

"But it's not safe, caves behind waterfalls, so I've read. Waterfalls erode the rock behind them into caves, which eventually collapse. The waterfall then recedes upstream." 

Geralt completely stops what he's doing and turns around to look up at Jaskier. He watches strangely for a moment- probably confused by the sudden bout of trivia ; just a sample of all the random facts and stuff piled up in Jaskier's memory- before speaking up, 

" That's only for the shallow cave like formations at the base of a waterfall. These, however, are halfway up the cliff-face. It's just an underground network of caves exposed due to the water flow. And this waterfall's not collapsing anytime soon; the erosion at the base is not enough to cause it to recede."

Then, quite unexpectedly, a small smile crept onto Geralt's face. " You had some of your facts right, atleast. "

Jaskier couldn't help the ridiculous blush that crept up his cheeks. With a smile and a mumbled thanks, he changed the topic. That wasn't exactly praise, but it was enough to get him all flustered, apparently. 

"So.... How are we getting down there?" 

"We climb." 

"We....... what? No.......no, no, no, no climbing please." 

"Okay, you can stay right here all night. See you." 

"Geralt! It's just that........... I get nervous - very nervous - with steep inclines and heights. I also have a sprained wrist! " 

Geralt sighed. "Its not a very challenging climb. I'll be right below you, and I'll not let you fall. Its an easy climb, you should be able to handle it. That good enough?" 

Jaskier beamed. "Yes! Thank you." 

Most of his fear melted away. Geralt was definetly strong enough to grab him if necessary. He would have Jaskier's back, surely. Jaskier remembered something. "What about your wound?" 

"I'll be fine. I've done worse." 

For the umpteenth time, Jaskier was mobbed by his curiosity as to who this man was, but he knew that any questions asked would be ignored. He resigned himself to the suffering. 

Geralt instructed him, "Watch how I'm going down, and do your best to mimic it." 

Jaskier nodded, and did as he was shown. They slowly descended to the height where their objective was situated, Geralt helping as promised. Jaskier felt his heart speed up as they inched closed to the cascade. The rocks were getting more and more slippery with every inch. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and went on till the narrow ledge they'd been edging along opened into a cave. 

Sighing in relief, Jaskier stumbled right in and flopped down on the floor of the cave. It was surprisingly dry just a couple of meters inside. 

Geralt slipped in much more gracefully, just behind him. "See, that wasn't too bad." 

"True." Jaskier panted slightly from the exertion. Once again, he marvelled at how easily he'd trusted Geralt with his life. Jaskier was a very trusting person in general, but this was a new level even for him. 

Geralt really did seem fine despite the wound. He wasn't even panting a little. Jaskier was sure the man was older to him; not because of the white hair, but the man in general seemed to be in his mid thirties. He was quite good at ages. Well, it wouldn't hurt to ask. 

"Geralt, how old are you?" 

Seemingly bewildered, Geralt glanced back at him. "Why?" 

Jaskier sighed. "No reason. Just curious. Wondered." Expecting no other response, he glanced about their new shelter. 

He was taken aback when a few seconds later, Geralt said, "Thirty six." 

Jaskier snapped his gaze back to Geralt, eyes wide and astonished. 

"That's what I'd guessed, really. Though I didn't expect you to actually answer." 

Geralt grunted. That seemed to be his standard response whenever he didn't know what to say. 

"Oooohh, you could guess my age." Seeing that Geralt was about to snidely not do so, he added, "Come on. Tell me, how old do you think I am?" 

Sighing in resignation to his own fate, Geralt mildly scrutinised him head to toe. "Hmm. About twenty five?" 

Jaskier burst out laughing. "You flatter me, Geralt. Unfortunately, you're a bit off the mark. I'm thirty two."

Geralt looked genuinely bemused by this. It was very becoming to him. Nearly all expressions were, to be honest. Jaskier tore his gaze away (he'd lost count how many timed he'd done that) and returned to scrutinising their cave once more. It wasn't exactly a network, as Geralt had suspected. There was just the one cave, about ten meters deep. Despite the waterfall, it was decently warm and dry in here, much to Jaskier's surprise. 

Geralt dumped his makeshift spear and the first-aid kit along the side of the cave, and sat down against the wall. Jaskier scrambled up, sitting opposite to the man. The cave was narrow enough that there was only about a few feet of distance between them. Geralt glanced towards the torrent of water at the mouth of the cave, and Jaskier followed his gaze. 

They had spent nearly the entire day walking, he realized as the crystal clear water seemed to glimmer in the light of the setting sun. The light seeped into the cave through the water, casting wonderful hues of orange, red and pink over them. Jaskier's eyes sought Geralt's. The man was still staring at the waterfall, lost in some contemplation. He looked unreasonably beautiful in the light. 

Jaskier snapped out of his daze when Geralt stood up once more (well, not really, since the cave was just high enough for them to stand with their shoulders hunched over.) and said, "I'm going out. We need to eat. Don't go exploring or anything. Stay here." 

"Trust me, I'm not going anywhere." Jaskier muttered in response, and before he could ask anything else, he slipped out the cave silently. It was strange being alone for the first time in this situation. Jaskier could feel himself getting more jittery by the minute. He had to distract himself, or this would end in him breathing into a paper bag. Which they probably didn't have. 

He focused on the changing shades of the sunlight. He loved sunrises and sunsets. So did Buttercup. Whenever they were awake early enough, or whenever he got off early from work, they would snuggle down in the wonderfully comfy armchair facing their window and watch the sun set over the city. It was one of the rare times when Buttercup dropped the facade of aloofness and actually cuddled up, purring. 

"Are you okay?" 

Geralt's rough voice seemed even more booming in the confines of the cave. Jaskier snapped up to see him slip back in with his spear, carrying some sort of bundle wrapped in a giant leaf in his arms. His question registered in Jaskier's mind, and he wondered for a second why he would ask that. Then he realized that there were tears on his cheek. 

Shocked at himself, he wiped them away clumsily. "Oh, its nothing. I'm fine; didn't even realise I was crying, strangely enough. It's just...." he faltered as Geralt set his stuff down and crouched down before him. He seemed equal parts concerned and confused, unsure of what to do. 

Hesitantly, he placed a hand on Jaskier's shoulder." Do you..... want to talk about it?" Jaskier would've burst out laughing at his endearing awkwardness, were it not for the very real concern in his eyes. Something in Jaskier shifted. Before he knew it, there were fresh tears flowing down his face, and he was sniffling. "Its just that..... I.... I'm afraid I won't ever see Buttercup again. Or Triss. I didn't even get to say goodbye!" his voice broke at the last few words. 

Taking a deep breath to stop the tears, Jaskier determinedly wiped them away. "I'm sorry, I'm just being silly. Crying over things like a baby. It doesn't help our situation at all." 

"That's alright." Geralt had settled down beside him. "Everyone has their way of coping." A heart-wrenchingly anxious look entered his eyes for a moment as he glanced away. Jaskier suddenly remembered that this man had a daughter, a family waiting for him. And Jaskier was having a breakdown over his cat. He wondered if staying aloof and focusing on their survival was really Geralt's own 'coping mechanism.'

Seeing him calm down a bit, Geralt shifted and reached for the bundle he'd set aside. Jaskier briefly mourned the loss of contact before inquisitiveness won over. "What is in that thing?" 

Geralt unwrapped the leaves and disclosed the contents. Jaskier blinked. There was a variety of what seemed to be wild vegetation, none of which Jaskier could even remotely recognize. 

"What are these........ These things?" 

"Dinner." Jaskier eyed him incredulously. Geralt huffed, "I assure you, I've picked nothing poisonous by mistake. Also washed them." 

Mildly reassured, Jaskier picked up one of them, and nibbled gingerly as Geralt watched in quiet amusement. Huh, it wasn't nearly as wierd as he'd expected. No longer suspicious, Jaskier commenced devouring it. 

Satisfied for the time being, he sat back and watched as Geralt ate the stuff. Before he knew it, Jaskier was speaking. 

"Who are you, really?" 

Geralt glanced up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. With a slight frown, he asked, "What do you mean?" 

"Well, most people don't usually have the wilderness survival skills to rival Bear Grylls! Out with it. What's your story, Geralt? " 

Geralt scowled back, and Jaskier was pretty sure this was a futile attempt, when he finally relented. 

"I've worked in a lot of wilderness as part of my job, before I got into teaching." 

Jaskier stared. "You...... You're a teacher?" 

"Yes. And stop staring at me like I'm a talking tree." 

Shaking his head, Jaskier changed his expression into something more acceptable that blatant amazement. "Sorry. Just, didn't take you to be the sort of person who....who's a teacher." 

"Hmm." 

"Well, what did you do before that, with the wilderness and whatnot? Pretty sure you can't buy a private jet on a teacher's salary in London." 

"I worked with animal rescue and rehabilitation. Been in a wide variety of places around the world. As for the plane, definetly not bought with a teacher's salary. Its a lawyer’s salary." 

"This just keeps getting more and more confusing. Were you a lawyer amidst all this too!?" 

Geralt, much to Jaskier's surprise, let out a chuckle. "No. I'm not talking about about me. My ex-wife, Yennefer, is the lawyer. One could say she's fond of the finer things in life. She lent me her plane."

Jaskier's eyes widened and heart flipped ridiculously at the words 'ex-wife'. Shaking it off, he frowned. Something about that name was familiar......... 

Yennefer..........lawyer.......in London........

Jaskier gasped. "Yennefer as in.... Yennefer Vengerberg? The lawyer? The _ very scary _ lawyer?" 

Geralt looked a bit bewildered, but was smiling slightly. "Yeah, scary’s right." The smile vanished as his brow furrowed mildly. "But how do you know her? She is well-known in her profession, but you.." 

"Ahhh Geralt, you forget. I'm a journalist. I've covered enough of her trials to be terrified of her. Also, we have a mutual friend. You know Triss Merigold?" 

Most people who saw Triss were astonished to find out she was a lawyer. Her kindness and sweetness hid a very sharp and intelligent mind. She never backed off a challenge too. Jaskier also knew that as unlikely as it seemed, Yennefer and Triss knew each other since college, where they were roommates, and had been thick as thieves. Jaskier was too intimidated by the former to ever meet her despite Triss' reassurance ("She's pretty cool, Jask. Come on, she won't eat you!) 

At the mention of Triss' name, Geralt sat up a little straighter."Oh, yes. We know Triss. Does that mean....... You're the kid she talks about? Her neighbour, the journalist guy?" 

"Yes!" Jaskier laughed out out loud. This was too much of a confidence. "So you are the guy she was trying to set me up with last month!" He blurted out unthinkingly. Once he heard his own words, Jaskier fought the urge to smack himself in the face. 

Geralt frowned. "What?" 

"Triss.. um... tried to convince me to go on a blind date. When I figured out it was with Yennefer's ex husband, I chickened out. Honestly Geralt, the woman herself is so terrifying, the idea of going out with someone who was once married to her was too intimidating!"

Geralt's brow cleared. "Hmmm."

Jaskier blundered on. "Not that you're intimidating! I didn't know you then. Hell, if I'd known you, I'd have agreed instantly." 

_ Pull yourself together, Jaskier! _

Cringing at his words, Jaskier bit his tongue to avoid its further betrayal. 

Slowly, he glanced up at Geralt. His face was as devoid of expression as a stone, but Jaskier fancied he saw a strange glint in his eyes. Offering the man a sheepish grin, he said, "Sorry." 

Geralt simply grunted. 

Regaining some semblance of control, Jaskier went on. "So, what were you up to in Havana?" 

"A Holiday."

"So was I! How long were you there, then?" 

"A couple of days."

Jaskier frowned "Funnily enough, so was I! Why did you cut it short then?" 

"I decided I’d rather spend my vacation with my daughter." 

"Oh, that's so sweet." Jaskier couldn't stop the fuzzy warmth flooding him. Geralt didn't strike one as father material at first, maybe. But looking at him whenever he spoke of his daugter removed any and all doubts.

Geralt huffed. "We should sleep. Tomorrow, we find the highest point in the island and send up a signal." Taking the hint, Jaskier shut up. 

It was dark out by now. He could see fairly well in the moonlight seeping in. The sky would've been shining, with the Milky Way visible in the clear air like it was last night, but it wasn't visible beyond the screen of water at the mouth of the cave. Well, Jaskier guessed being able to sleep relatively better shielded from the elements was worth it. A small (okay, not that small) part of him regretted the fact that Geralt wouldn't need to keep him warm tonight. 

About to say Goodnight, he turned to Geralt, and paused as he noticed the man himself approach him. Settling down right beside him, wordlessly, Geralt reached for his hand. Jaskier could feel himself going red, and as said hand was genlty lifted, his mouth went dry and his stomach dropped and his heart  _ definetly _ skipped a beat and-

"How's the wrist?" Geralt's low voice broke the silence, and Jaskier kicked himself internally. What had he even been expecting!? 

_ Dumb, Jaskier. Dumb. _

Realizing that Geralt was still waiting for a response, he spoke up. "It's fine. Doesn't hurt that much, really." 

"Hmm. It should heal up in a week or two, it isn't too bad. Take care not to put any weight on it while sleeping." 

"Yeah.... okay. You be careful with that wound of yours too. Its way worse than a sprained wrist."

"It'll heal soon enough. A couple of stitches would've helped, but it'll still heal over properly." 

Jaskier smiled. "Goodnight, Geralt." 

"Goodnight." 

Then, much to Jaskier's delight and bewilderment, Geralt shuffled just a couple of feet away before laying down right alongside. Jaskier bit back the grin threatening to break over his face as he glanced at Geralt's broad back that faced him. 

Despite the rocky ground under him, he drifted off to sleep with a small smile gracing his lips. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it.  
> Leave a comment or a Kudos if it tickles your fancy!!  
> (idk why the phrase popped into my head but it did and I had to use it)


	4. The One Where Geralt Gets Stuck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. The tables are somewhat turned in this one, as you can probably guess by the title.
> 
> Enjoy:)

Jaskier woke up to the sound of water splashing. He frowned sleepily. That wasn't what one heard the first thing in the morning. And why the heck was his mattress-

Oh, right. Jaskier groaned as he recollected the past couple of days. Yawning and stretching, he blinked blearily around the empty cave. Geralt was nowhere to be seen. Jaskier padded over to the entrance of the cave, and watched his step carefully as he edged a few feet along the stony ledge to peek around the curtain of water cascading down. 

He nearly slipped and dropped right into the churning waters below him at the sight that greeted him. 

Geralt was in the pool the water formed, wet from head to toe. But what really made Jaskier lose any and all sense was that he was buck naked. 

Hearing the squeak that had escaped Jaskier's lips (he had no idea if it was due to him slipping or the fact that the man he was most definitely falling for was totally nude in front of him), Geralt glanced upwards at him. 

"Jaskier. Be careful not to lose your grip, the water makes the stone slippery." His voice was boomingly loud and carried easily over the din of the waterfall. 

Jaskier's mumbled, incoherent reply was lost in the noise. Geralt seemed totally unaffected by his nudity, but Jaskier couldn't take it any longer. He averted his eyes. 

Geralt spoke again, "You should wash up too." 

He did have an extremely valid point, they smelled worse than a rotting dumpster. Jaskier yelled back, this time with the full use of the strong voice he'd developed and honed with years of singing, "Yeah! Once you're done." 

He turned and slowly slipped back into their cave, inhaling deeply to recover from the shock. 

A few minutes later, Geralt walked in, his clothes and hair still wet from the washing. Jaskier thanked the powers that were that Geralt hadn't decided to stay naked till the clothes dried out. The image made him blush furiously again. Clearing his throat, he asked, 

"How's your wound, Geralt?" 

"Fine. Washed and patched it up." 

"If and when you need more bandages, let me know. I've still got this old thing," Jaskier muttered as he pointed to the now tattered shrug of his, which he'd held onto. 

Geralt, much to his surprise, smiled in response before reverting to his usual grumpy face. "Come on, we have to get you down there." And Jaskier went with him. Slowly, Geralt helped him down to the base of the falls. Jaskier noticed that the spear was already lying by the edge of the pool. 

Once they were back on level ground, Geralt said, "I'm going to get us breakfast. From the forest." The idea of being alone out here made Jaskier's stomach twist uncomfortably. Noticing his anxiety, Geralt reassured him, "You'll be fine. I won't go far from here...... just shout if you need anything. Okay?" 

This didn't placate Jaskier's worry entirely, but it was better that before. Nodding in response, he watched as Geralt vanished into the dense tree-line, spear in tow. Jaskier inhaled deeply, and let it out slowly. He didn't fancy standing naked out here for long; it felt even more vulnerable than the last couple of days in that state. Stripping hastily, he roughly washed his clothes and spread them out on a rock. Then he dipped his toes into the water. It was cold, but more refreshing than freezing. He slipped in, and commenced scrubbing himself clean as best as he could. 

That gave him a good distraction from the panic constantly simmering just under the surface. The bed of the pool was visible through the crystal clear waters. He caught glimpses of tiny fish darting away, and the rounded stones lining the bed. With a laugh, he realized he was bathing in a pool of wonderfully limpid water, beside a pretty _ fabulous _ waterfall. All inhibitions left behind, he splashed his way as close to the waterfall as he dared. Squinting and sputtering in the spray from the fall, he laughed. This was unreal, like some fantastical dream come to life. He was bathing in a waterfall, for Christ's sake!

After an uncertain period of time, he reluctantly dragged himself back to solid land and put on his garments once more. He thanked the gods he'd decided to pass on the skintight jeans and selected the cargo pants instead; the jeans would've been a nightmare when wet. 

He was still basking in the glorious reprieve from his tensions when an unusually loud disturbance disrupted it entirely. Frowning towards the trees (that's where it came from), he sat up straighter. The sound that followed it was definitely not expected.

"Jaskier!" 

In a heartbeat, Jaskier had scrambled to his feet and raced towards the forest. The voice was unmistakably Geralt's, and the tone in it made his heart pick up its pace. 

"Jaskier! Can you hear me?" 

"Yes! Hang on, don't move about!" Jaskier followed the sound of his voice with single-minded focus. In a minute or so, he stumbled to a halt. Geralt was on the ground, glaring at the canopy hard enough to skin a cat. There weren't any signs of new injuries. He seemed perfectly fine.

Except for the fact that his foot was caught in a particularly twisted root. 

Jaskier went over to him, hand on his hips and eyebrows raised. Geralt turned his glare to him. It didn't really seem all that scary anymore 

He fought the smile threatening to burst across his lips, a mixture of immense relief and amusement. He couldn't resist the opportunity to tease."I thought you rescued animals from traps and stuff. Did you frequently fall into them yourself too?" 

"This isn't a  _ trap _ " Geralt grunted half heartedly. 

"Semantics." Jaskier waved off the argument as he crouched down by his feet to examine the situation. 

Geralt mumbled, frustration writ in his tone. "If it weren't for this stupid wound, I could reach over and pull myself out gradually." 

Jaskier noted that fact; any sizable effort from Geralt was sure to tear open his wound all over again. It suddenly caught his eye that the ground underneath the roots was all soil. It didn't seem too rocky. 

Glancing around, Jaskier spotted Geralt's spear lying a little way away. He retrieved it and came back to the root. Geralt looked on, understandably concerned. "What are you doing? “

"Stay very still, Geralt. I'm going to dig away some of the soil under the roots. That ought to make enough room for you to wiggle out. "

Geralt obediently didn't move a muscle as Jaskier carefully dug away at the earth, wary of his hurt wrist . He'd never done anything like this before, but his nerves were steadier than anticipated. A few minutes later found Geralt's foot free of the vile clutches of the twisted roots, uninjured. Geralt was extremely grumpy as they walked back to their camp, much to Jaskier's amusement. 

After walking in silence for a moment or two, Geralt spoke up. "Thank you." 

He sounded sincere enough, and more than a little sheepish. Jaskier couldn't keep himself in check anymore, and burst out snorting with laughter. Soon enough, he was leaning against a nearby tree, doubled over and clutching his stomach. His mirth was uncontainable, and eyes brimming with tears. Finally stopping due to lack of breath, Jaskier leant back against the trunk. Wiping away his tears, he wheezes, "Oh my gods, your face was priceless." Geralt tried to maintain his stony demeanour, but his eyes shone with amusement as he watched Jaskier recover from his fit. 

Jaskier's wide grin softened into a smile. "I  _ was _ worried, you know." 

Geralt looked at him closely for the first time after The Rescue. The thick canopy had made it a bit dark, but now several beams of light filtered through as they were closer to the edge of the tree line. And his brow immediately furrowed. 

" Jaskier, what the hell happened?" 

"What do you mean?" Jaskier was confused by the worry in his voice. 

"You're......" Geralt was much closer to him now, and Jaskier stiffened a bit as he reached for him. Jaskier hissed and flinched away in pain as Geralt touched a spot on his jaw. 

"What the-" He looked down at himself and groaned. There were several tiny scrapes and a few bruises blooming all over his arms, and now that he thought about it, he could feel some on his torso as well. Presumably, there were some on his face as well. 

"Nothing, I'm fine Geralt. Must've happened when I rushed in to  _ save _ you." Jaskier smirked smugly. 

Geralt looked at him steadily, a strange glimmer in his eyes. Jaskier felt his smile fade away under that scrutiny. 

"You should be more careful." He sounded deathly serious, all trace of amusement lost.

"Okay, your wish is my command!" Jaskier gave him a mock bow as they started walking back, trying to lighten the mood again. Geralt just frowned. The set of his jaw, along with the general body language, indicated some annoyance, maybe even anger. 

Jaskier went quiet. A minute ago, he seemed alright. His apology was proof enough that the predicament hadn't caused a wounded ego. They why the sudden shift in attitude? 

Once they reached their base, Jaskier expected (and hoped) Geralt would immediately get to roasting the pair of rabbits he'd hunted down before being bested by the wild roots. 

Instead, he found himself being sat down and closely examined head to toe. Fidgeting and trying to beat back the blush, he mumbled "Geralt?" 

Geralt moved back, and Jaskier had barely enough time to gather his thoughts and even his breathing before he was right back in his personal space. Realization dawned as he spotted the tube of antiseptic cream in his hands. Holding his breath, he watched as Geralt gently applied it over every single scrape and cut in absolute silence. He couldn't look away from Geralt. He had seemed like a perfectly chiselled work of art before, but now in the mellow sunlight, there was a breathtaking softness in every feature. 

Neither said a word once the ointment was put away, fire lit, and breakfast duly made and devoured. 

Neither acknowledged the fact that Jaskier could have very well put on the ointment himself. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it!! Leave a comment or Kudos if it tickles you fancy :D  
> (i'm never letting this one go)


	5. The One Where They Build A Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featuring Jaskier learning new things, and yearning over Geralt like the lovestruck bard he is at heart. :):)

Jaskier had decided that the moment he got back home, he was going to hit the gym. Not that he was weak or unfit; his swimming kept him in quite good shape. But watching Geralt (who was definetly heavier than him) trek uphill for over an hour without much exertion, while Jaskier panted and dragged himself along wounded his pride.

"Wait" he wheezed, finally giving in to his aching muscles and sitting down. "A ......... a min.... just a minute." 

Geralt accqueised and sat down opposite to him. The man was maybe breathing a tad bit more heavily than usual, and had worked up a bit of a sweat. It was totally unfar!! They were trekking to the highest point of the island: a hill to the North. It was Geralt's plan to set a smoke signal going to catch the attention of any vessel passing by. 

Geralt reassured him, "We're nearly there. Just some 10 minutes or so." Jaskier caught his breath, and once he was not longer panting, they resumed the journey. Within the promised time, they had reached the summit. It was a broad area, devoid of any trees. The entire beach, as well as the horizon, made for a breathtaking view. 

Jaskier promptly flopped onto the grass on his back. "I'm not moving an inch from here till you drag me up."

Geralt let out air from his nose forcefully, kind of like a silent snort. "Fine by me.", and marched off, presumably hunting for wood to get their fire going. 

Jaskier sighed, staring up at the bright blue sky. A few fluffy clouds dimmed the brightness of the sun, looking for all the world like cotton balls. He could hear Geralt moving about just a few meters away. Sighing once again, he braced himself on his elbows and looked. Sure enough, his companion was busily gathering kindling , even snapping off a few low lying, adequately sized branches. Dragging himself to his feet, he trudged over to help. Between both of them, they had a sizable amount of firewood within half an hour. 

However reluctantly, they had abandoned their cave in order to stay close to the fire. "If there's any rain, or a storm, I can tell beforehand, and we'll go back" Geralt had told him. Jaskier's consequent quip of comparing him to a wizened old county farmer had only been replied to by an exasperated, resigned sigh. 

As Geralt piled up the kindling and got about to starting the fire, Jaskier piped up. 

"May I?" 

Geralt looked up from where he was squatting, one eyebrow raised. "I didn't think that you've done it before." 

"I haven't, actually." Now both the eyebrows shot up. Jaskier flashed him a grin. "I've watched you do it! Twice! I think I've got the hang of it. Not to brag, but I'm a quick learner." 

Geralt's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Be my guest." 

Jaskier plopped himself down beside Geralt, and took the stick handed to him. Recollecting what he'd seen, Jaskier put the end of the stick to the surface of dry wood placed firmly on the ground. Gripping it properly, he proceeded to rub it up and down, as he'd seen Geralt do previously. The first few times, his hand slipped. Geralt warned, "Careful. Don't scrape your hand." 

Nodding in reply, Jaskier's brows drew together as he concentrated on the task at hand. Eventually, he picked up the pace. His hand was aching soon enough, and Jaskier wondered how much longer he'd have to do this. Well, it was his first time after all, he probably just needed practice. Just as he was about to give up and hand it over to Geralt, the wood started smoking. 

The grin split his face in two. "I did it! See that, Geralt? It's -" 

"Don't stop! Keep going." Jaskier realized then that he'd slowed down in his excitement. Still beaming, he did as he was told. Soon enough, there was more smoke, and Jaskier carefully picked up the ember and dropped it into the tinder-nest Geralt had already prepared beside them. 

Geralt instructed,"Blow on it, not too gently. Not too hard though, or the tinder will blow away." 

Jaskier blew a few times, and soon enough, a small flame leapt into being. Geralt gathered it and carefully dropped it amidst the kindling. Jaskier grinned like a madman as the fire caught on, and the flames grew till they leapt nearly three feet into the air. Though Jaskier's heart was soaring with pride and joy. 

He was positively vibrating in excitement as Geralt tended and stoked the flames. "That was pretty good for a first, huh?" 

"Hmm." 

"Oh come on, I managed to get an  _ actual _ fire going. This was really my first time! Well, except for the time I set the swimming pool on fire in uni." 

Geralt turned and eyed him like he'd spouted a few tentacles and a tail out of nowhere. Jaskier sighed. "Don't ask, it's a harrowing tale involving nail-polish, some remover and unholy amounts of perfume. You don't want to know." 

That didn't seem to make it any better. Geralt shook his head and turned back to the fire. 

Once he was satisfied with the fire (now a whopping five to six feet high, much to Jaskier's pride), Geralt once more slipped into the role of Hunter and stalked off to kill some poor little woodland creature for their dinner. The though made Jaskier a bit queasy, but they had to keep up their strength somehow. The good thing about this island was : there weren't any big predatory animals roaming about. At least they hadn't spotted the signs of any yet, Jaskier thought as he watched the fire flicker. He worried about Geralt foraging all alone out here, and had even offered to tag along. But Geralt wouldn't budge, and basically ordered him to stay put. "You look after the fire and keep it going." Jaskier huffed. Absolute bullshit. Jaskier knew he wouldn't be much help, but he wouldn't hinder Geralt either. However, that man could be extremely stubborn. 

Jaskier paced about aimlessly to dissipate the knot of tension in his gut. They'd been out here for two full days now, and hadn't seen any ships nearby. Well, time alone would tell if Geralt's idea worked or not. Jaskier had asked him, what if the ships just mistook the flame and smoke for a wildfire passed them by. Apparently, the woods were too wet from the storm for a wildfire. Also, a fire smack in the middle of a clearing would definitely not be one. 

Geralt was so sure, nearly all the time. He was what kept them anchored to safety and sanity. The light in the darkness. He wouldn't have survived a day here all alone. The only thing Jaskier had though the first time they met was 'christ, the man was hot'. But now, he was decidedly falling for him. Jaskier easily recognized the symptoms of the onset of love; he'd fallen so many times, after all.

Till today morning, he'd been hoping it wasn't all in vain, but they'd definitely had a moment there when Geralt tended to his scrapes. The memory was enough to bring a smile to his face. It would've been so easy to reach out, shift just an inch closer, lift a hand to his face and trace the shape of his jaw with featherlight touch, look deep into those gorgeous amber eyes brimming with worry- worry for him, Jaskier. To just close the gap between them and-

"What happened to you?" 

Jaskier looked up at Geralt. He'd somehow ended up sitting cross legged by the fire, staring into it, lost in the daydream. He felt his ears go pink as he wiped away the goofy, lovestruck smile from his face. Geralt frowned, adorably confused. Dammit, it shouldn't be possible for someone like him to be that friggin cute! Jaskier fought back the grin as it threatened to appear once more. 

"N-nothing. I'm fine, everything's fine. Just-perfect." Geralt didn't really seem convinced, but dropped it and set to work on his latest catch - 

"Is that a bird!?" There were two of them actually, Jaskier noted as he put them down. 

"Grouse." Geralt grunted, as he set to work on one of them. Jaskier wrinkled his nose. "After the last few days, I'm considering going fully vegetarian when we get back." 

Geralt, to his great surprise, actually chuckled. "That's what Ciri said the first time I took her camping. Now, three years later, she can get most things ready nearly as fast as I can." 

Under Jaskier's relentless pestering, Geralt had divulged a few things about himself, and his daughter as well. She played the guitar, was a total myth and history nerd, and sounded delightfully snarky. She seemed like a really cool kid, in all honesty. Also, anyone who managed to make Geralt transform into such a puddle to sappy love (of course, badly concealed under the gruff exterior) had to be awesome. 

"Your daughter sounds like a really amazing kid- albeit a tad bit terrifying." 

Geralt huffed. "She gets that from her mother." 

"Oh, right. Yeah, that makes sense." 

Geralt looked up at him, a curious glint in his eyes. "You've said that you've covered a few of Yen's cases. How did you not know about her having an ex and a daughter?" 

Jaskier narrowed his eyes at Geralt. "I may be a journalist, but that doesn't mean I snoop into every inch of her life! Trust me, those cases of hers are interesting enough by themselves; no one needs any more personal drama there. Not to mention she'd probably stab me through the heart if I ever tried to drag her personal life into things. "

" Hmmm."

"Honestly, Geralt, did you really take me for one of those blokes with  _ zero _ ethics who violate people's privacy? I am appalled. That is the sort of thing you'd see in  _ Valdo Mark's _ pieces, never in mine." He laughed as something occurred to him." Oh, I hope Mark gets assigned on one of Yennefer's cases. He indeed has zero boundaries, and the moment he crosses a line, she'd rip him to pieces."

Jaskier probably shouldn't have sounded so gleeful at that prospect, considering the mildly alarmed look Geralt sent him. " You don't like this Valdo Mark guy much, do you. "

Jaskier rolled his eyes. "How perceptive of you Geralt." Geralt shot him an unimpressed glance at the sarcasm. Letting out a big sigh, Jaskier resumed speaking. "Valdo Mark is my arch nemesis, Geralt."

Geralt's eyebrows shot up. "Wow. You're the last person I'd expect to have an 'arch nemesis'". 

"I know! But Valdo Mark is the bane of my existence. That absolute good-for-nothing asshat was initially one of my friends." Jaskier grimaced, recollecting those days. "I was woefully ignorant then that he was a snake donning a human form. He shamelessly stole the idea that I had for my first blog! It was an inspired concept, and he totally betrayed my trust and took it for himself." 

"Hmmm. Hard luck. What was it about then, this blog?" 

Jaskier roused himself from his sulking fit. "Oh, Bees." 

Geralt stopped what he was doing entirely. "Bees? He stole the idea of a blog about bees? That's what you're on about?" He sounded incredulous. 

Jaskier pursed his lips. "It's not about what the blog is! It's the fact that he's a spineless, thieving  _ scoundrel _ who's fit for nothing. Also, bees are a very essential part of our ecosystem!" 

"I know that, Jaskier. Anyways, you seem to be doing pretty well for yourself. Why still bother about this?" 

Jaskier shook his head. "You just don't get it, Geralt." 

Rolling his eyes, Geralt gave up and resumed the task at hand. Jaskier watched as he roasted the birds over the fire. Maybe he could try doing that the next time. 

"It tastes like chicken!" Jaskier exclaimed as he chewed on a piece of the meat. Geralt gave a sigh of the long suffering. "Stop talking before you choke on the food." 

"I'll be fine, Geralt. Even if I do, you're right here to save me, my Knight In Shining Armour." 

"I could also leave you choking. I'd finally have some peace." 

Jaskier waved about a piece of the bird in a dismissive gesture. "Oh, nonsense. You would’ve left me behind long ago if you wanted to." Jaskier grinned at Geralt. It could've been a trick of the dancing firelight, but he was pretty sure the man's cheekbones were tinged with the faintest touch of pink. 

It was night once more, and the sky was speckled with endless bright stars. Combined with the fragrance of wildflowers somewhere nearby, it was enough to lull Jaskier into a half asleep daze, hunger sufficiently sated by Geralt's hunting skills, and with the physical exertion of trudging up a hill through a forest. 

The bed of soft, lush grass was considerably more comfortable that the sand of the beach or the stone of the cave. Jaskier had by now learnt to ignore all the little insect bites he suffered through the night. But atop the hill, the wind was strong and cold as ever. 

As usual, Geralt lay right beside him on his back. Jaskier shifted his gaze from the stars to the man beside him. Both sights were equally beautiful and awe inspiring. No, scratch that, Geralt was definetly the more wonderful of the two, Jaskier thought as he watched him bathed in the firelight. 

Jaskier blamed the chilly wind, and his half ridiculous, sleep-addled brain for what happened next. 

Rolling to his side, he pressed right up to Geralt's side. Pillowing his sleepy head on a broad shoulder, Jaskier tangled their legs together. One arm wound carefully around his waist, as Jaskier did his best to not disturb the wound. 
    
    
        
    
        
    
    

Geralt lay absolutely still under him for a long moment. Just as Jaskier, somewhat recovering from his sleep-fogged thoughts, was about to withdraw and profusely apologize for taking such a liberty, an arm curled around his shoulders, holding him closer. Smiling quietly, he drifted off to sleep in the warm embrace. 
    
    
        
    
        
    
    

*************
    
    
        
    
        
    
        
    
    

Jaskier grunted in disapproval, and cracked open a single eye. Only to find Geralt halfway through an attempt to wiggle out from under him. Shooting back a sleepy glare at the mildly guilty look on his beautiful face, Jaskier mumbled incoherently and snuggled closer.

Eyes once again closed, he felt Geralt sigh and poke his shoulder gently. "Jaskier.........I gotta get up."

No response.

"Jaskier." This time, it was more insistent. Jaskier groaned and reluctantly rolled over onto his back. And resumed squinting up at Geralt grumpily. 

"We're stranded on an island, and I still get woken up early." he grumbled. 

Geralt snorted. "I tried to avoid it." 

Jaskier grumbled a bit more and sat up, blinking blearily. "You're not sneaky enough to escape me." 

"Unfortunately." He grunted as he added more kindling to the fire, which had dwindled down to a small thing overnight. Yawning and stretching, Jaskier headed over. 

"What's today's agenda? Lemme guess, hunt something down for breakfast." Geralt grunted. And then added, "We'll head down to the stream after that." 

As promised, they had soon eaten another poor little rabbit, and were on their way down to the stream. Jaskier amused himself by asking Geralt a variety of questions about the flora and fauna around them, as much out of scientific curiosity as to pester Geralt. It was too much fun to tease the man than it should be. 

They didn't have to travel all the way back to the cave for water, but found a stretch of the stream just over half an hour away from their current camp. Once their thirst was sated, Jaskier turned to Geralt, and led him to a nearby log by the bank.

"What's this about?" Geralt asked as he was sat down on the aforementioned log. 

"We're redressing your wound, Geralt." That met with no protest, and Jaskier proceeded to rip out another strip of cloth from his unfortunate shrug. He was pleased to find the wound had stopped bleeding entirely, and was healing already.

Binding it up once more, Jaskier smiled back at Geralt. "All set!" Though he was done bandaging, Jaskier's hands remained at Geralt's sides as they locked eyes. And kept looking. Jaskier could feel something change in the air, and was hyper-aware of the scant inches between them. His heart fluttered with a strange mix of desire and nervousness. Why was he still nervous? They had literally just spent the night in each other's arms. This was the perfect moment to-

Geralt abruptly turned his gaze away, and cleared his throat. "We should go." 

Jaskier blinked. He stood up and stepped away immediately. "Right. Let's go." He ignored the tightness in his chest. Geralt had every right to keep his distance, but that didn't explain last night. The rejection (and that's what it was, Jaskier was sure of it) hurt him, more so because it made no sense. 

He kept silent as they trekked back. This situation they'd ended up in was strange enough in itself, without trying to discuss what was going on between them. However upset he was, Jaskier understood that a no meant no. 

Telling himself it was alright, and he'd bounce back soon enough, Jaskier bumped right into Geralt's back, as the man went still all of a sudden. "Wha-" 

"Shh. Listen." 

Frowning, Jaskier did as told. There wasn't anything new that-

"What was that?" 

Geralt sprang into action startlingly quick. "That is what a ship’s horn sounds like." 

It took a second for the words to sink in, and he felt the adrenaline rush through his veins as the implication sank in. 

He followed Geralt at a fanatic pace, breathing heavily, thought it was more from the excitement and tension than physical exertion. The few instances he tripped over a root, or slipped, Geralt was right there to catch him before he hit the ground. Together, they raced till they reached the top of the hill, to their camp. 

There it was, a mile or from the beach. The unmistakable shape of a ship. And it didn't seem to be moving away. Jaskier couldn't help the manic grin that spread over his features. He could feel the tension and worries of the past few days melt away in his relief. 

"We did it!" He turned to Geralt, and nearly tackled him in a giant, bone crushing hug, before recollecting what had happened mere minutes ago. But despair didn't last any longer than a second with how elated he was now. 

Geralt smiled back, though he still looked pretty grim. "We still need to get to the other side of the island. They can't get a rescue boat to us, with the jagged seabed." Jaskier felt his heart sink. Geralt, noticing his face fall, reassured him. "Don't worry. We just have to trek a couple miles east. There's a stretch there, a gap in the rocks. It's difficult to get a boat from here across it, but if we can swim over,..... Can you swim?" 

"Hell yeah, I can swim."

"Well, then. Come on." 

They made for the small stretch of the island Geralt mentioned.
    
    
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
    
    


	6. The One Where They Get Rescued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stuff happens. Be warned : fluff ahead. Any traces of angst found are a result of Jaskier's overactive imagination only, because I can never make these boys actually suffer for more than a fleeting second. Enjoy:)

"Jaskier! Are you alright? What happened? I hadn't heard from you, and I was fearing the worst! You know, Buttercup's been so worried I was afraid she'd starve herself. What-" 

"Triss, I'm fine." Jaskier nearly yelled into the phone to be heard. This was the first thing he'd done once he'd come aboard The Pearl (the name of the Cruise ship that rescued them.). Well, with the exception of a bath and his first proper meal in days. 

"What even happened?!" 

Jaskier gave her a quick retelling of the events of the last few days. She gasped at all the right moments, and -

"Oh gods, you poor thing! You must be in a state." 

"It's not that bad, really. If I'd been alone myself, I would've been screwed. But Geralt kept both of us alive and reasonably well-fed." 

"Yeah, about that. What are the odds, huh? You ending up there with Geralt, of all people. The very man I'd set up the blind date with, if you remember." 

"I know, I was shocked myself! Are you sure you had nothing to do with this?" He mocked. 

Laughing, Triss replied, "If you're already making jokes, then I'll take your word that you're fine. Also, I played no role in what happened, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was the outcome of one of Yen's schemes." 

"What is she, a witch!?" 

"Between the both of us, it doesn't seem all that impossible." 

Jaskier shuddered, and decided to change the topic. "Hey, how's Buttercup? How'd the surgery go?" 

"Perfect. She's hobbling about now, left foreleg all bound up in a cast." 

"Oh! We'll match then." 

"Jaskier!" The worry was back in her voice. "You said you were fine!" 

"It's just a sprain........calm down, mom." 

"Take care. And get back. Soon!" 

"As soon as possible, dear. Now put Buttercup on!" 

"Here you go...." This was succeeded by muffled voices as Triss coaxed the cat over, followed by loud shuffling. And then finally, a loud purring that made Jaskier's chest tighten in joy. 

"Buttercup!!" She purred louder. "Oh, love, are you being a good guest?" 

"Mroww. " 

"What's this I hear, about you not eating properly? I'm on my way darling, don't fret." 

"meeeEAAOOOWWW"

"Yes, yes. I'll see you soon, little thing. Take care of Triss."

"Mmm-hmm." Triss cleared her throat. "I'm looking after the both of us, thank you very much." 

"I know you are," Jaskier said fondly, "It's just that the little drama queen loves the idea of running everything." 

"True enough. So, when are you getting home?" 

"4 days till we reach Dublin, and I'll get a flight home as soon as I can. I can't wait to meet you both again." 

"Oh, we'll be counting down the hours. Now, get yourself into a bed and sleep, because you sound so exhausted that it's making me tired." 

"Yeah, alright. See you soon." 

With a goodbye, she hung up the phone. Jaskier handed the phone back to its owner, the Captain of the vessel, and thanked her for it. She was a kindly soul, though something told him she wasn't one to mess with. 

He was led to the one of the unoccupied rooms to get himself settled there. They'd also managed to equip him with some clothes that fit. As soon as he was inside, he crawled under the warm, cozy sheets and sighed as he recollected the crazy day they'd had. 

As Geralt had planned, they'd swum back till they were clear of the rocks, and had soon been dragged onto the lifeboats that had been sent their way. He thanked the gods for his proficiency in swimming, because there was no way he would've stayed without getting ripped to bits without it. Swimming in the sea was way more disorienting and gruelling than he'd expected. Surprisingly enough, Geralt seemed to find it harder than Jaskier did, and was a good few meters behind him. It made a part of Jaskier unreasonably smug as he gave Geralt a hand scrambling onto the lifeboat. 

He hadn't exchanged a word with anyone till they reached the ship. He just sat by Geralt in the cramped little boat, both of them swaddled like giant babies in fluffy, warm towels. Then they'd been herded away separately to wash and eat. 

Jaskier would've expected to be crying with relief, or dancing with elation, but he'd felt strangely numb, as though moving through a haze. Talking with Triss had helped a bit with that, and he felt more like himself at the end of it. And now, as soon as he slipped under the covers, exhaustion hit him like a brick, and he was fast asleep before he knew it. 

*************

Honestly, Jaskier had  _ not _ been expecting to find Geralt dozing in an armchair by his side when he woke up. 

He stared, and then blinked. The confused furrow of his brows vanished with the fond smile he couldn't help. Jaskier was pretty sure that the armchair hadn't been this close to the bed when he'd first entered the room. Geralt was curled up, hugging his knees to the chest, turned towards Jaskier. His hair was pulled back with a hair tie into a messy bun, with a few strands falling into his face. He looked unfairly lovely, and Jaskier's heart nearly burst with fondness. It was a miracle, how small he managed to look that way. 

As he watched, Geralt stirred and opened his eyes. "You're awake." he rumbled. 

"So are you. How long have you been here, cramped into that chair?" 

“Since noon. " That was less than an hour after he'd fallen asleep. Jaskier turned to the digital clock on the bedside table and his eyes widened as he saw the time. It was 1am.    
  
"We've been asleep here for.... What..... half a day!?"    
  
"I suppose so." Geralt stretched, and moved his head from side-to-side; his neck  _ had  _ to be stiff after so long in that chair. Catching Jaskier's eye, he said, "We have been under a lot of stress, physically and emotionally, for the past three days."    
  
Well, he did have a point. Jaskier sat up straight, stretching like a cat, before he remembered something. "Oh, Geralt. Did you talk to Cirilla?"    
  
Geralt smiled, and Jaskier's heart fluttered familiarly. "Yes. She's fine. Was a bit upset, but she'll get over it."    
  
Jaskier shrugged with one shoulder. "She definitely handles it better than Buttercup."    
  
"Your cat."    
  
"Yeah. You remember her name!"    
  
"Of course I do. You talked about her half the time."    
  
"Well, I didn't think you were actually listening."    
  
"Of course I was listening." Geralt smiled again, and Jaskier could literally sense his insides turning into a lovestruck puddle of goo. And he was also so torn. Jaskier hadn't ever been one to keep his feelings to himself. Even with Geralt he'd been fairly obvious, and he wasn't going to change now. He may as well ask.    
  
"Geralt, I have to tell you something."    
  
"Hmmm."    
  
"I- Well, the thing is, you see, and I've been pretty forward about it, well, i......... I like you. A lot."    
  
Geralt had once more put on his stoic mask. When Jaskier didn't continue, he realized he was expected to respond. "You weren't exactly subtle. I got that."    
  
"That's....... okay, right. I know. The thing is, see, I sort of felt that maybe you reciprocated the feeling...... with the cuddling and whatnot." Geralt just stared, face as blank as could be. Jaskier swallowed hard, and went on, "But last morning, um, well..........that gave me some very mixed signals. I'm at a loss as to what to do. I just thought, you know, I'd get it all out, because I really hate misunderstandings."    
  
Geralt remained silent for a moment, before leaning forward, running a palm over his face."Fuck."   
  
Jaskier watched, not knowing what to do, as Geralt stayed still for the next few seconds. When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.   
  
"You're right. I should be more clear. I'm sorry, but I didn't mean to lead you on."   
  
Jaskier's heart sank slowly. It must’ve been evident by his expression, because Geralt hastily added, "No, I didn't mean it like that." 

_ What?  _ Now Jaskier was just plain confused. When Geralt went silent again, he couldn't help but give a frustrated sigh. Geralt winced at that, and Jaskier said, "Geralt, you have to be honest with me. You do owe me that much."    
  
He nodded and, looking down at the floor, replied,   
  
"I'm not good with..... relationships. I haven't had one since Yen, and that was over fifteen years ago. I'm not the best with communication, as you've realized. I also didn't know how much I would trust anyone new around Ciri, because she's the most important part of my life. I just couldn't risk it. "   
  
Jaskier stared down at his hands, twisting the sheets. Of course, what Geralt said about Ciri was his own decision. He hated the tears blurring his vision. Dammit, he wouldn't weep in front of Geralt. But the idea that Geralt wouldn’t trust him even after the last few days hurt more than he thought possible.   
  
Out of nowhere, he felt a weight on his shoulder. He looked up to find that it was Geralt's hand, and the man himself was looking right at him. There was startling vulnerability, an openness in his eyes that he'd never seen before, never even expected. And then he opened his mouth.   
  


"But I think............ for you, I could make an exception. If you agree, I want to give us a chance."    
  
Jaskier gaped. That sentence had not ended anything like he'd anticipated. Today was really full of the unpredictable. All the weariness and hurt vanished in a millisecond and Jaskier felt like he was floating. He realized Geralt was still waiting for a response, and was looking more and more upset by the second.    
  
" Yes! Of course!“ Jaskier nodded vigorously, and nearly short-circuited when Geralt laughed, equal parts relieved and amused. Jaskier grinned. "Of course I'd give us a go." 

Geralt smiled back, and his hand slid from Jaskier's shoulder to his hand. Holding it, he shifted a bit closer on his chair. "In that case, I think I owe you something else as well." 

Jaskier raised his brows, grinning playfully. "Oh, yeah? What's that?" 

"Something from yesterday morning." 

Jaskier gave his hand a squeeze, and Geralt slid off the chair and onto the bed in one fluid movement. They sat there, knee-to-knee, holding hands. Jaskier's grin softened into a smile. Brushing back a strand of hair from Geralt's face, he muttered. 

"Hey." 

Geralt, mere inches from him, smiled back, tilting his head just so. "Hmm." 

" 'Hmm' to you too." Jaskier leant forward, and Geralt met him half way as they kissed. 

Jaskier's insides were at once numb and bursting with fireworks. He pulled his hands away from Geralt's, and wound them around his neck, surging forward. Geralt grip shifted, one broad hand running along his side as the other supported his back. He was wonderfully gentle, and Jaskier curled himself into the warmth. 

They made out like that for what felt like hours. And finally ended up spawled on the bed, Geralt with his face slotted between Jaskier's neck and shoulder and Jaskier absentmindedly playing with Geralt's hair. 

Jaskier was lost in deep contemplation, and Geralt eyed him warily. "What is it?" 

"Well, I was thinking." 

"I noticed." 

"That you reminded me of someone, very distinctly." 

"Hmm." Geralt looked confused. Jaskier was sure that wasn't something he'd heard often, what with his unique (and super hot) looks and reserved person. Geralt continued to eye him curiously. 

"Well, you remind me of Buttercup." 

The wariness turned into plain bewilderment. "Your  _ cat? _ ." 

"Yes." 

"You just compared me to a cat. Is that supposed to be romantic?" Geralt snorted. Jaskier rolled to his side, to face him properly. 

"No, but it's true!" 

"You have to elaborate. No one's ever called me a cat before." 

"Well, you both act all aloof and grave and brooding. But inside, you're just big ol' softies."

Geralt glared. Jaskier beamed back, and added,

"Absolute marshmallows."

Geralt sighed in resignation. Jaskier grinned triumphantly and laid a peck on the tip of Geralt's nose, and laughed as he blinked in total shock. He couldn't resist teasing a little more. 

"Also, you're both terrible in water." 

Geralt grumbled, "I'm not terrible, you're just a little faster." 

Jaskier smiled back, as smug as ever. 

Shaking his head, Geralt wrapped a solid arm around his shoulders and pulled him to his side, and Jaskier gladly clung to him. 

Jaskier yawned widely, and said, "I could use another nap." 

Geralt grunted his assent. Jaskier found it equal parts hilarious and adorable that all those grunts and 'hmm' s weren't just part of the intimidating facade, but really did constitute a solid 50% of his vocabulary. 

As they drifted off together, Jaskier finally felt that giddy joy he'd been waiting for thrum through his veins. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's nearly done!  
> Only the epilogue left now, because I couldn't resist writing in Yen and Ciri. Also, Buttercup is going to officially make an appearance :D :D


	7. The One With The Reunions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it!!! This one was probably the most difficult for me to write, 'cause I don't do very well with more than two or three characters at once. Get ready to meet my first OC, Buttercup. :D

As he and Geralt arrived at Heathrow, Jaskier instantly spotted their receiving party, right at the front of everyone else. Triss was right there, Buttercup contently nestled in her arms. By her side was the unmistakable Yennefer, as scary looking as ever in dark makeup and the all-black attire. And with them was a bright-eyed young girl with pale blonde hair pulled into a ponytail.

She was the first one to spot them. With an astoundingly loud screech of joy, she rushed over to Geralt and tackled him with a bear hug. If he were any less solid, he'd have toppled over due to the impact. 

Jaskier was immediately distracted from the father-daughter reunion (he assumed that's who the kid was, from Geralt's description and their reactions.) when Triss engulfed him in one of her patented, wonderfully warm hugs. This was accompanied by loud mewling and purring. Buttercup had wiggled out of her grip the moment they were spotted, and was currently rubbing up against his ankles, rumbling like a mini-thunderstorm.

"Come here, darling! Oh, how I've missed you...." Jaskier lifted her up carefully, wary of her injured paw and his wrist. As he pet Buttercup's soft, grey-blue fur and scritched behind her ears just like she loved it, she purred and snuggled up to his chest.

" Well you seem perfectly well, little thing. How have your plans for World Domination been going, huh?"

Triss laughed, and said, "Not very well, since this one's too lazy to do anything."

"MeeEEWWww"

"Oh she's just jealous of how wonderful you are, dear. Ignore her." He turned up his nose at Triss in mock condescension. Rolling her eyes, Triss dragged him into her embrace again, which caused Buttercup to wiggle out from between them with an angry squawk to avoid getting sandwiched.

" Oh, you idiot! Only you could manage to end your Cuban vacation stranded on a random island. It must've been terrible..." Triss looked at him, brown eyes filled with worry. Jaskier hated seeing her upset.

"It wasn't all that bad, honestly." Triss quirked an eyebrow, and Jaskier reassured her, "I didn't get hurt at all! Except for a few cuts and scrapes"

"And a sprained wrist!"

"Oh, that's nothing. Geralt, however, really cut himself on some pointy rocks when we washed up. It was pretty scary, really."

Triss turned to Geralt with the same concerned look, and Jaskier realized with a jolt that they already knew each other. Now that Ciri was no longer clinging to him like a baby chimp to its mother, Geralt was talking to Yennefer. Jaskier was taken aback as he saw her laugh at something, a proper belly-laugh with eyes wrinkled and nose crunched up in mirth. The closest he'd seen her to amusement had been a bone chilling grim smirk. It was enough to give him some serious whiplash.

Triss went up to Geralt, who smiled. 'Hey."

Triss squeezed him in another bear-hug, and Geralt placatingly patted her curly head. She drew back and said,"You got yourself hurt, you idiot."

"Someone had to look after this idiot." Geralt indicated to him, and Jaskier gasped at the affront, smacking him lightly on the shoulder. The action didn't go unnoticed; Ciri eyed them both with a twinkle, smile slowly spreading wider. Yennefer raised one perfect eyebrow and looked between them before smirking. It felt more ominous than it should be.

"I know you. You've covered a few of my cases."

"Yes." Jaskier carefully focused on keeping his voice steady and not shrinking away. "Julian Pankratz."

"Yennefer Vengerberg." She gave him a once over, and Jaskier did not fidget under her gaze. "If I'm reading the situation right, and I always do," Jaskier had no doubts as to that, "you should be careful. Because if you ever hurt Geralt, I'll hunt you down and chop off your dick." She smiled sweetly, and Jaskier gulped. 

Geralt sighed wearily. "I'm standing right here, Yen. And stop scaring him."

She patted his shoulder. "Oh, you're no fun. As always." But there was no mistaking the happy twinkle in her eyes.

Triss called for everyone's attention. "Okay, okay, guys. We’ll talk more later. I think you two should go home, and get rested for a bit. Oh, don't look so upset," That was directed at Jaskier, who immediately transitioned into sad puppy eyes at the thought of parting from Geralt for the first time in over a week.

Geralt watched with a mix of amusement and fondness, and Cirilla piped up. "We could all meet for dinner tonight!" Jaskier perked up again. "Yes, that's a wonderful idea."

"Okay, my place then."Yen muttered.

Triss squinted at her suspiciously, while Geralt eyed her skeptically." You're cooking? "

Ciri, now standing between Jaskier and Geralt, tugged at Jaskier's sleeve and whispered to him,"She's an amazing cook, but rarely gets about to doing it. Only special occasions."

"Ahh. Thanks for the catch-me-up. I'm Jaskier." He whispered back.

"Ciri." She grinned cheerfully. "Are you his boyfriend, then?"

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“Whether or not you give your approval.” 

Ciri made a show of scrutinizing him critically, squinting in mock suspicion. “That depends.”

“On?”

“Whether or not i’ll get to hang out with you and your cat during and after dinner.” She broke into a beaming grin, which Jaskier returned in equal measure. They just sealed the deal with a fistbump when Yennefer called for Ciri.

“Come on, you still have work to finish before dinner.”

“Coming!” With a hasty goodbye wave, Ciri jogged away to catch up to her mother. Geralt, who was getting a lift with them, awkwardly turned to Jaskier.

“Hmm......see you tonight, I guess.” 

“Yeah. To tide us over till then,” Jaskier grabbed his face and kissed him. Geralt froze for a moment before responding enthusiastically.

“Gross!” Ciri yelled from where she and Yennefer were waiting for Geralt. They broke off, and Jaskier stepped back . 

“Goodbye Geralt.”

Geralt gave his hand one last squeeze and waved as he headed off to where Yen and Ciri were. Jaskier watched them walk away till they were lost in the crowd. He sighed wistfully.

“Oh, you sappy idiot. You’re acting as though you’re being separated for an year! Sighing like an old furnace.” Triss beamed at him, “ Now, we’ve got a long time before going off for dinner, and you're going to tell me every single detail.” 

  
  
  


******************

  
  
  


“i’ve never seen you take so much time dressing up! And it's you we’re talking about, so that means you’ve been fretting about for over an hour!!” Triss groaned as Jaskier tried on what was probably the twentieth shirt to go with his jeans. 

“Just tell me how this one is, I swear its the last!” 

She smiled wearily and sighed. “It looks great. Like every single thing you’ve tried on. “

“You’re no help in choosing,Triss.”

“Okay, then. This one’s perfect.”

“Now see, I know you’re just saying that to get me to stop.”

“You’re being paranoid. Hey, don’t sulk. You’ve spent days with each other wearing the same tattered rags. It doesn’t matter.” 

Buttercup mewled in agreement. Jaskier pouted and propped his chin on a palm. “You’re right.” abruptly, he sprang up and twirled before the mirror, critically eyeing the salmon pink button down he’d ended up in. “This is fine. More than fine, it's  _ great _ .”

“Yay! Come on, let's go. We’ll reach just in time.”

The three of them set off to Yennefer’s flat in Triss’ car, and as she predicted, reached just in time. It was spacious, and surprisingly cozy looking. Geralt and Ciri were busy setting the table, and Yennefer marched out of the kitchen carrying a giant bowl. 

Once they exchanged greetings, Ciri rushed over to pet Buttercup, who purred contentedly. Geralt sidled up to them, standing close beside Jaskier. He muttered, “She likes you.”

“Well, she likes my cat. Probably ‘cause you she loves you.” Jaskier quipped. Geralt rolled his eyes, and said, “She does like you.”

Contentment settled thick and heavy in Jaskier’s bones as he curled his hand around Geralt’s. Similing, he said, “I’m glad, because she’s the coolest kid i’ve met.”

Yennefer walked over to Jaskier’s side, and watched Ciri playing with Buttercup as the cat purred at the wonderful scritches and attention being showered onto her. Yennefer smiled at them, and Jaskier suddenly saw the warmth and love hidden under the intimidating exterior. She shifted her gaze to him, and narrowed her eyes in a squint. “Your cat better not shed all over the place, or I’m keeping you here all night to clean up.”

“Got it.” He smiled back, no longer as mortified in her presence. He was still aware that she was fully capable of ripping him apart if she felt the need. A moment later, she returned the smile. “Make yourself useful.” she said as she returned to the kitchen. 

Jaskier headed over to the table where Geralt was now setting out the plates. “I see you’re bonding.”

Jaskier smirked. “It's all part of my plan, you see.”

“Hmmm.”

Jaskier had become better at discerning what the grunts and ‘hmmm’s meant. This one, he knew, was an enquiry.

“ _ I _ am going to charm her with my charming ways till we’re the best of friends. Then I’ll have someone to get catty with over a bottle of wine whenever you’re being a _ boor _ .”

Geralt frowned at him grumpily, and Jaskier leaned over the table to press a kiss to his cheek.

“Hey, if you’re not going to help, at least don’t begin smooching over the table!” Yennefer snapped as she set down a pot of spaghetti. Jaskier blushed and scrambled away, and Geralt just went on with putting out plates. 

“Ciri, dinner!” she called out. The kid headed over, cradling Buttercup in her arms as Triss emerged from the kitchen with a bottle of wine and glasses. Yennefer suddenly stopped moving, and blinked at Buttercup. “I don’t have anything for the cat!” she exclaimed, throwing up her hands in disbelief. Before Jaskier could say anything, she asked, “Do cats eat spaghetti?”

Jaskier bit his lip to hold back a laugh at the mental image that formed; Yennefer wouldn’t appreciate it at the moment. “No worries, I got a tin of her regular food. All I need is a bowl to put it in.”

“Oh! We’re good to go then.” she sighed as Ciri fished out a bowl for Buttercup, and they all sat down. Everyone served themselves (except for Buttercup, who’d been served by Jaskier) and tucked in. Soon enough, they were all talking, exchanging anecdotes, Jaskier and Geralt (mainly Jaskier) entertaining them with overly exaggerated anecdotes of their escapade. 

“...and he was in the pit, which was at least ten feet deep, no way to get out other than up. Ah, but i was still there,  _ not  _ in the hole, ready to gallantly rescue him. Would you believe it, I dragged him out of there, all by myself .”

Ciri and Triss were in peals of laughter, close to tears and falling on one another for support, and Yennefer was chuckling. Close to bursting and gasping for breath, Ciri said, “I don’t.......I know what you’re telling is hilarious, but  _ god _ , look at Dad!” The two of them devolved into another fit of mirth, Jaskier himself lost it at the expression Geralt wore. 

He grumbled, “That’s not what happened,”. No one heard any of his protests, and Yennefer sat up straighter and did a surprisingly good imitation of Geralt’s low, rumbling voice. “Jaskier! Help me, i’m stuck in a ditch.” her voice cracked at the end as she burst into giggles, smacking Geralt’s shoulder. Geralt shook his head in resignation and stood up. “I’ll get the dessert.”

No one heard him, too busy laughing. He frowned, and Jaskier said, “Would you rather I tell them what actually happened?” Geralt sighed and marched off to the kitchen. By the time he returned to the table, pie in hand, they’d calmed down a bit. Yennefer grinned up at him, and said, “You got your foot tangled in a root?” 

He sighed a sigh of the long suffering, and sat back down. “Happens once in a while.” She turned to Jaskier and said, “It’s funnier when you know that he’s scaled K-2 and the Everest.”

Jaskier’s jaw dropped open, and he stared in disbelief at Geralt. “Yeah, a few years ago..” he quietly mumbled. Jaskier watched as he focused on eating the pie, eyes fixed on the plate. He looked almost.........shy. Jaskier smiled, before digging into his own slice. It was delicious, and he hummed his approval. “This is the best pie i’ve ever had, honestly. Yennefer, you’re magic.” 

She smiled. “I’d love to take credit, but this one’s all Ciri..” she waved her spoon towards the kid, who smiled smugly. “Thanks, Jaskier.”

Geralt added, “Her current career plans are to run a bakery.” 

Triss said, “ Oh, please set up shop close by. You have at least four loyal customers already .”

“I volunteer for taste-testing all your recipes. It would be an honour.” Jaskier told Ciri, who gave him a thumbs-up and a grin. “Sure.” 

Just then, Buttercup decided to voice her dissatisfaction with the loss of attention. Triss and Ciri immediately attended to the summons, cooing and petting, as the creature immediately started playing aloof once again.

The other three of them cleared up the plates, and once all the leftovers were safely boxed and put away into the fridge, Yennefer groaned at the dishes in the sink, and Jaskier took the opportunity. “Hey, don’t worry, me and Geralt will take care of this. I have to thank you some way for the scrumptious dinner.” 

Geralt ‘Hmmm’ed his agreement, and Yennefer looked between the two of them before smirking. “Yeah, that’s what this is about.” Jaskier grinned in response as Geralt turned to him with a nearly imperceptible quirk of his eyebrow. 

“I better not find you two making out on the counter!” ,she muttered as she returned to the living room to the others. Jaskier turned to Geralt, only to find a cloth being thrust at him. 

“I rinse, you dry.” Geralt decided, and they started off on the pile. 

“So,” Jaskier sidled up closer to him. “You didn’t tell me about the ‘scaling the Everest and K-2’ thing.”

“Hmmm.”

Jaskier couldn’t help but smile, recollecting his shyness. “How can someone be so wonderful, yet so humble as you are? I’ll never understand.” he said.

Geralt snorted. “You don’t have to flatter me.”

“’S not flattery, its true!” Jaskier bumped Geralt’s hip with his, which earned a quiet smile. He went on, “You’re like poetry, Geralt. And I,” he nudged their shoulders together. “I am going to soak in every single line till its a part of me.”

Geralt seemed torn between rolling his eyes and laughing. “You’re absolutely shit at metaphors.”

“Oh, I know you love it.” 

Geralt looked at him, face all soft and smiling, and Jaskier felt all thought dissolve into a puddle of warmth as he replied, “I do.”

In that moment with Geralt, listening to the others laughing and playing (and purring) in the living room, Jaskier felt more at home than he ever had. Maybe one could get used to living like this.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all you wonderful people for reading and enjoying this. Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it!!!!! :) :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed reading!! Leave a comment or Kudos to show your appreciation!! :):):) 
> 
> (I Probably got a lot of stuff wrong as well, so excuse that.)


End file.
